Assistant Professor
University of Washington
Dr. Chu is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Global Health at the University of Washington. The Chu Lab is focused on defining the diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and other respiratory viruses. RSV is the most important cause of viral pneumonia in infants worldwide, for which no vaccine or effective treatment is currently available. The lab evaluates the role of humoral and cellular immunity in protection against respiratory viruses in pregnant women and infants. The lab has additionally developed sequencing techniques to identify patterns of viral transmission in nosocomial and community-based settings. Using these techniques, our group has described transmission patterns of RSV, rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus, the epidemiology and adverse birth outcomes associated with respiratory viral pneumonia in pregnant women, and the kinetics of serum and breast milk antibody transfer in infants. Our latest study is the Seattle Flu Study- a new major initiative to examine flu and other respiratory viruses and learn how these viruses enter into a city, how they spread, and how they cause outbreaks in certain communities.
Disclosure: Cepheid (Grant/Research Support)Ellume (Grant/Research Support)Glaxo Smith Kline (Consultant)Merck (Consultant)Sanofi-Pasteur (Grant/Research Support)