Dr. Peng is a laboratory animal veterinarian and faculty of basic sciences. His primary research interest is the development and use of genetically engineered animals, especially transgenic rabbits, as models for studying human diseases. His research has been focused on studying the mechanisms of the tissue specificity of papillomavirus infection and the infection related tumor initiation, regression and progression. The hypotheses are that the strict specific tissue infection of papillomaviruses may be regulated by DNA methylation, and cofactors (such as ras oncogene) are required for carcinogenesis in papillomavriru infection.

In addition, due to his expertise in production of transgenic rabbits, he has collaboration with investigators in both this and other institutions. In collaboration with Dr. Christensen of this institute, transgenic lines of rabbits expressing the human MHC class I gene HLA-A2.1 have been established to study immunity to human papillomavirus infection. The initial studies indicate that the HLA-A2.1 transgenic rabbits can provide an important preclinical animal model system to study virus-host interactions and to assess specific targets for immunotherapy related to infection by several human pathogens with permissiveness or semipermissiveness in rabbits.

In the collaboration with Dr. Koren of Brown University, the first transgenic rabbit models of long QT syndrome, LQT1 and LQT2, have been established. These two lines model the human condition by exhibiting prolonged QT, gender differences in QT intervals, ventricular arrhythmias and a high incidence of sudden death. These transgenic rabbit models have provided a novel system to further study the mechanism of long QT syndrome in humans and develop new approaches for its treatment.