Kylee Morrison

Dr. Kylee Morrison is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University. Dr. Morrison is a molecular virologist, having studied herpesviruses of different subfamilies throughout her career. Currently, Dr. Morrison’s research focuses on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous human herpesvirus that can cause severe disease in immunocompromised populations. HCMV is also the leading infectious cause of congenital anomalies. 

The Morrison Lab investigates novel virus-host interactions required for herpesvirus infectivity and works to determine the mechanisms of how these interactions promote infectivity of produced virions. As herpesvirus-associated diseases are caused by fully infectious virions (either in initial or reactivated infections), ongoing work further aims to illuminate potential intervention points for herpesviral pathogenesis and disease. The lab uses cell culture models to integrate molecular and cell biological studies of virus-host interactions required for virus assembly, navigating host innate immune responses, and virus interplay with chromatin biology and cell cycle regulation.