Joseph Kulkosky earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh. His graduate thesis work, investigating unusual structures in RNA, was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Mary Edmonds, a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Kulkosky’s lengthy research career in HIV/AIDS began at Cornell Medical Center and continued at Fox Chase Cancer Center studying the mechanism of HIV DNA integration into the host cell genome. Subsequently, he focused on AIDS virus strains resistant to anti-retroviral therapy as well as strategies toward a cure for AIDS at Thomas Jefferson University, Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Kulkosky has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the field of HIV/AIDS including undergraduate students as co-authors (for example: Dria, M. and Kulkosky, J., The Elusive Nature Toward a Cure For HIV, Medical Research Archives, 2018.) Apart from his expertise in virology, recombinant DNA technology and the dynamics of gene expression, his academic interests have extended into the field of forensics. He currently enjoys his role as the instructor in a variety of courses including Principles in Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Forensic Medicine.
- Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
- B.S., University of Scranton
- Scholar of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) 1991-1994
- AIDS Research - studying the mechanism of HIV-1 DNA integration and molecular strategies to eradicate HIV-1 latent reservoirs.
- McKernan L., Momjian* D., and Kulkosky J., Protein Kinase C: One Pathway towards the Eradication of Latent HIV-1 Reservoirs, Advances in Virology, 2012.
- Davis* R.V., McKernan, L.N., Rhodes J., Kulkosky J., In Vivo Effects of Antiviral ISRN,Toxicology, 2011.
- Katz, R., Jack-Scott, E., Narezkina, A., Palagin, I., Boimel, P., Kulkosky, J., Nicolas, E., Greger, J.G., and A.M. Skalka. High Frequency Epigenetic Repression and silencing of Retroviruses can be antagonized by HDAC inhibitors and transcriptional activators, but uniform reactivation in cell clones is restricted by additional mechanisms. Journal of Virology.2007.
- Kulkosky, J and S. Bray. HAART-Persistent HIV-1 Latent Reservoirs: Their Origin, Mechanisms of Stability and Potential Strategies for Eradication. Current HIV Research. 4:199-208. 2006.
- Feng-Xiang Wang, Y. Xu, J. Sullivan, E. Souder, E. Argyris, E. A. Acheampong, J. Fisher, M Sierra, M.M. Thomson, R. Najera, I. Frank, J. Kulkosky, R.J. Pomerantz and G. Nunnari. IL-7 is a potent and proviral strain-specific inducer of latent HIV-1 cellular reservoirs of infected individuals on virally suppressive HAART. J. Clinical Investigation. 115:128-137, 2005.
- Nunnari, G., D. Leto, J. Sullivan, Y. Xu, K. Mehlman, J. Kulkosky and R.J. Pomerantz. Seminal Reservoirs during an HIV-1 Eradication Trial. AIDS. 16:39-45, 2005.
- Nunnari, G., Sullivan, J., Xu, Y., Nyirjesy, P., Kulkosky, J., Cavert, W., Frank, I., and R.J. Pomerantz. HIV type 1 cervicovaginal reservoirs in the era of HAART. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. 21:714-718. 2005.
- DiMascio, M., Dornadula, G., Zhang, H., Sullivan, J., Xu, Y., Kulkosky, J., Pomerantz, R.J., and A.S. Perelson. In a subset of subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA in plasma decays from 50 to 5 copies per milliliter, with a half-life of 6 months. Journal of Virology 77: 2271-2275, 2003.
- Kulkosky, J., J. Sullivan, Y. Xu, A. Malin-Markham, M. Otero, S. Calarota, J. Zielinski, D. Culnan and R.J. Pomerantz. Genotypic alteration of HAART-persistent reservoirs in vivo.Virology. 2003.
- Patel, C.A., Muktar, M. Harley, S., Kulkosky, J., and R.J. Pomerantz. Lentiviral expression of HIV-1 Vpr induces apoptosis in human neurons. Journal of Neurovirology 8: 86-99, 2002.
- Kulkosky, J. and R.J. Pomerantz. Approaching eradication of highly active anti-retroviral therapy persistent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reservoirs with immune activation therapy. Clinical Infectious Diseases 35: 1520-1526, 2002.
- Kulkosky, J., Nunnari, G., Otero, M., Calarota, S., Dornadula, G., Zhang, H., Sullivan, J., Xu, Y., De Simone, J., Babinchak, T., Stern, J., Cavert, W., Haase, A. and R.J. Pomerantz. Intensification and stimulation therapy for HIV-1 reservoirs in infected individuals on virally-suppressive HAART. J. of Infectious Diseases. 186: 1403-1411, 2002
- Kulkosky, J., Culnan, D., Roman, J., Dornadula, G., Schnell, M., Boyd, M. and R.J. Pomerantz. Prostratin: activation of latent HIV-1 expression suggests a potential inductive adjuvant therapy for HAART. Blood 98: 3006-3015, 2001.
- Kulkosky, J., BouHamdan, M., Geist, A., Nunnari, G., Phinney, D.G., and R.J. Pomerantz. Pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection in bone marrow cells. Leukemia and Lymphoma, 37: 497-515, 2000.
- BouHamdan, M., Kulkosky, J., Duan, L-X, and R.J. Pomerantz. Inhibition of HIV-1 replication and Infectivity by expression of a fusion protein, Vpr-anti-integrase single chain variable fragment (SFv): Intravirion molecular therapies. Journal of Human Virology 3: 6-15, 2000.
Previous Positions
- Postdoctoral Fellow: Cornell Medical Center
- Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Assistant Professor of Medicine: Thomas Jefferson University
