Q&A with Noe Mercado: Investigating the Role of a Common Human Virus in Brain Tumors

It’s highly likely that you have a common virus hiding in your body right now, going completely unnoticed. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects up to 90% of adults globally, and while it’s usually an asymptomatic infection, the virus stays with you for life.

However, research has shown that CMV is highly prevalent in glioblastoma, fast-growing, aggressive brain tumors. Brown University PhD student Noe Mercado received a 2025 PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine to study the role of CMV in driving glioblastoma growth.

Mercado aims to assess the changes in glioblastoma after CMV infection and determine whether targeting the virus using antiviral drugs may provide therapeutic benefit for glioblastoma patients.

Watch this video to learn more about Mercado and his research.