Cheng-An Lyu

I am a DPhil student in Prof. Peijun Zhang's group, studying the biophysics of the human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), such as human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K). My current work focuses on resolving the native structures of HERVs using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and tomography. 

More broadly, I am interested in how endogenous retroviruses influence human biology and disease. By defining the viral protein structure and its assembly principles, my research aims to illuminate mechanisms underlying endogeneous retroviral reactivation in contexts such as cancer, neurodegeneration, viral co-infection, and aging, and to design future therapeutic strategies that target endogenous viral elements.