Dr. Priscilla Yang is a recognized expert in the fields of chemical biology and virology. She is a leader in developing and applying chemical tools to study the interaction of viral pathogens with the host and to identify host-virus interactions that can be exploited for antiviral purposes. She was among the first to develop high-throughput small- molecule screens to identify host effectors of dengue virus replication. In collaboration with Mariano Garcia- Blanco, she extended this screening effort to the first genome-wide RNAi screen to identify effectors of dengue virus replication in insect cells. These efforts led to the identification of FDA-approved and clinically advanced kinase inhibitors as potent and specific inhibitors of dengue virus and to studies intended to facilitate repurposing of these compounds as potential antivirals. Dr. Yang has also pioneered the use of activity-based chemoproteomic profiling to study the earliest host responses to dengue virus infection and to elucidate virus- specific changes in host lipid metabolism associated with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. These pathway-based discovery projects have identified multiple host pathways that are currently under investigation as potential antiviral targets, including identification and development of small molecule inhibitors that derive their potency through polypharmacological activities. Her experience in high-throughput screening, target identification, protein biochemistry, and the molecular biology of flaviviruses make her well-suited to lead efforts to optimize dengue virus entry inhibitors, elucidate their biochemical mechanism(s) of action, and characterize mechanisms of antiviral resistance. Dr. Yang, in collaboration with Drs. Harrison and Gray, discovered the small molecule inhibitors of dengue virus entry that are the subject of Project 1. Her expertise in the molecular virology of dengue virus will also be valuable in the mechanistic studies of dengue virus entry described in Project 1. Dr. Yang’s interests in host kinases in viral infection have also led to collaboration with Dr. Gray to develop irreversible kinase inhibitors as antiviral compounds.