The mission of Dr. Maria Nagel’s lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is to dissect mechanisms by which viruses evade immune clearance and produce aberrant, chronic inflammation that leads to disease corresponding to affected sites. Research is predominantly focused on the pathogenesis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV), as well as new exploratory studies on SARS-CoV-2. By understanding virus-host interactions, we can identify biomarkers that would assist clinicians in disease diagnosis and prognosis, as well as identify pathways that can be targeted to treat infection and associated inflammation.