Members
Young S. Hahn
Young Hahn is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology. Her research program has been focused on studying the immunoregulatory mechanism(s) during hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV in humans is highly efficient in establishing viral persistent infection leading to chronic hepatitis, which in turn predisposes to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Persistent HCV infection is a worldwide health problem with an estimated 3% of the world population (>180 million people) affected by chronic liver disease. Despite a successful anti-HCV therapy, there is an urgent need to develop vaccines to reduce the global burden of HCV-mediated severe liver disease. Extensive studies on host immune responses to HCV reveal that control of viral infection depends on robust T cell and B cell responses. In exploring the possible evasion mechanism(s), Hahn’s lab studies indicate that interaction of HCV-infected hepatocytes with monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells of the innate immune system inhibited their ability to produce proinflammatory cytokines. During the last decade, Dr. Hahn has been studying the immunoregulatory mechanism employed by HCV and its impact on controlling hepatic inflammatory responses and tissue damage using both human and murine systems. Dr. Hahn has a broad background in viral immunology and pathogenesis with outstanding training. Recently, Dr. Hahn serves as a mentor for a graduate student from South Africa through the Global Infectious Diseases Program.
Young Hahn is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology. Her research program has been focused on studying the immunoregulatory mechanism(s) during hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV in humans is highly efficient in establishing viral persistent infection leading to chronic hepatitis, which in turn predisposes to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Persistent HCV infection is a worldwide health problem with an estimated 3% of the world population (>180 million people) affected by chronic liver disease. Despite a successful anti-HCV therapy, there is an urgent need to develop vaccines to reduce the global burden of HCV-mediated severe liver disease. Extensive studies on host immune responses to HCV reveal that control of viral infection depends on robust T cell and B cell responses. In exploring the possible evasion mechanism(s), Hahn’s lab studies indicate that interaction of HCV-infected hepatocytes with monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells of the innate immune system inhibited their ability to produce proinflammatory cytokines. During the last decade, Dr. Hahn has been studying the immunoregulatory mechanism employed by HCV and its impact on controlling hepatic inflammatory responses and tissue damage using both human and murine systems. Dr. Hahn has a broad background in viral immunology and pathogenesis with outstanding training. Recently, Dr. Hahn serves as a mentor for a graduate student from South Africa through the Global Infectious Diseases Program.
Marie-Louise Hammarskjöld
Marie-Louise Hammarskjöld is the Charles H. Ross Professor and Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. She is also the Associate Director of the Myles H. Center for AIDS and Human Retroviruses. She has been working on HIV for more than 30 years, especially in the area of molecular genetics of HIV and host cell interactions. Her work has been continuously funded by NIH and she has made many original contributions to the field and mentored many graduate and post-graduate students. For many years, she was Chair of the UVA Institutional Biosafety Committee and she is now a member of National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity (NSABB) that advises the federal government on regulation of infectious disease research. During her many years in virology, she has also worked and published on other viruses of global importance, such as EBV and HTLV. Since 2009, she has been involved in a partnership with University of Venda (UNIVEN) in Limpopo, South Africa. This includes collaborative HIV research with the group of Professor Pascal Bessong (a former postdoctoral trainee in the Thaler Center), as well as substantial educational efforts that are aimed at building human capital and research capacity at this historically disadvantaged university. This program is currently funded by a grant from the South African Department of Science & Technology and supports the teaching of a yearly hands-on 2 week workshop for about 30 students at UNIVEN, as well as participation of 2-4 UNIVEN students in the Summer Research Internship Program in the UVA Medical School. In addition, the Thaler Center hosts graduate students from UNIVEN for 12-18 month periods for mentoring and research on joint collaborative projects. In addition to this, Dr. Hammarskjöld is involved in outreach programs with high school students in the Limpopo region. This has included a Jefferson Public Citizen project in 2013, where a team of UVA undergraduates implemented a Molecular Biology/Genetics program at the Vuwani Center, a UNIVEN led outreach center for high school science education.
Marie-Louise Hammarskjöld is the Charles H. Ross Professor and Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. She is also the Associate Director of the Myles H. Center for AIDS and Human Retroviruses. She has been working on HIV for more than 30 years, especially in the area of molecular genetics of HIV and host cell interactions. Her work has been continuously funded by NIH and she has made many original contributions to the field and mentored many graduate and post-graduate students. For many years, she was Chair of the UVA Institutional Biosafety Committee and she is now a member of National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity (NSABB) that advises the federal government on regulation of infectious disease research. During her many years in virology, she has also worked and published on other viruses of global importance, such as EBV and HTLV. Since 2009, she has been involved in a partnership with University of Venda (UNIVEN) in Limpopo, South Africa. This includes collaborative HIV research with the group of Professor Pascal Bessong (a former postdoctoral trainee in the Thaler Center), as well as substantial educational efforts that are aimed at building human capital and research capacity at this historically disadvantaged university. This program is currently funded by a grant from the South African Department of Science & Technology and supports the teaching of a yearly hands-on 2 week workshop for about 30 students at UNIVEN, as well as participation of 2-4 UNIVEN students in the Summer Research Internship Program in the UVA Medical School. In addition, the Thaler Center hosts graduate students from UNIVEN for 12-18 month periods for mentoring and research on joint collaborative projects. In addition to this, Dr. Hammarskjöld is involved in outreach programs with high school students in the Limpopo region. This has included a Jefferson Public Citizen project in 2013, where a team of UVA undergraduates implemented a Molecular Biology/Genetics program at the Vuwani Center, a UNIVEN led outreach center for high school science education.
Rachel Harmon
Rachel Harmon teaches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure and civil rights. Her scholarship focuses on policing and its regulation, and her work has appeared recently in the NYU, Michigan and Stanford law reviews, among others. She serves as associate reporter on the American Law Institute’s project on policing. From 1998 to 2006, Harmon served as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice. After a brief stint at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, Harmon worked in the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, prosecuting hate crimes and official misconduct cases, many of which involved excessive force or sexual abuse by police officers. She left the Justice Department to join the law faculty as an associate professor of law in the fall of 2006.
Rachel Harmon teaches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure and civil rights. Her scholarship focuses on policing and its regulation, and her work has appeared recently in the NYU, Michigan and Stanford law reviews, among others. She serves as associate reporter on the American Law Institute’s project on policing. From 1998 to 2006, Harmon served as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice. After a brief stint at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, Harmon worked in the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, prosecuting hate crimes and official misconduct cases, many of which involved excessive force or sexual abuse by police officers. She left the Justice Department to join the law faculty as an associate professor of law in the fall of 2006.
Tajie Harris
Tajie Harris is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience. Dr. Harris’ research focuses on how the immune system detects and controls parasitic pathogens that infect the central nervous system, with a focus on Toxoplasma gondii. Her research group uses multiphoton microscopy and other approaches to visualize host-pathogen interactions in the brains of living animals. In 2013, Dr. Harris was recruited to the Department of Neuroscience and the center for Brain Immunology and Glia, a group of investigators from across Grounds that studies the interface between the immune and nervous systems. Dr. Harris is currently performing interdisciplinary research to understand how protective immune responses are coordinated within the brain. Dr. Harris is a member of the Carter Immunology Center and numerous training programs including the Neuroscience Graduate Program, Immunology Training Grant, Infectious Disease Training Grant, Medical Scientist Training Program, and Biotechnology Training Program. Dr. Harris’ research is currently supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Tajie Harris is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience. Dr. Harris’ research focuses on how the immune system detects and controls parasitic pathogens that infect the central nervous system, with a focus on Toxoplasma gondii. Her research group uses multiphoton microscopy and other approaches to visualize host-pathogen interactions in the brains of living animals. In 2013, Dr. Harris was recruited to the Department of Neuroscience and the center for Brain Immunology and Glia, a group of investigators from across Grounds that studies the interface between the immune and nervous systems. Dr. Harris is currently performing interdisciplinary research to understand how protective immune responses are coordinated within the brain. Dr. Harris is a member of the Carter Immunology Center and numerous training programs including the Neuroscience Graduate Program, Immunology Training Grant, Infectious Disease Training Grant, Medical Scientist Training Program, and Biotechnology Training Program. Dr. Harris’ research is currently supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Farzad Hassanzadeh
Farzad Farnoud Hassanzadeh is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Computer Science Department. His research interests include mathematical modeling and analysis of mutations and genomic sequence evolution; and data fusion methods for ordinal data. Applications of his research relevant to the Global Infectious Diseases initiative may include modeling and prediction of mutation-driven antibiotic resistance; and epidemic threat detection based on data fusion. His teaching is focused on computational data analysis and statistical machine learning. He is the recipient of the 2013 Robert T. Chien Memorial Award from the University of Illinois for demonstrating excellence in research in electrical engineering and the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Data Storage Best Student Paper Award.
Farzad Farnoud Hassanzadeh is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Computer Science Department. His research interests include mathematical modeling and analysis of mutations and genomic sequence evolution; and data fusion methods for ordinal data. Applications of his research relevant to the Global Infectious Diseases initiative may include modeling and prediction of mutation-driven antibiotic resistance; and epidemic threat detection based on data fusion. His teaching is focused on computational data analysis and statistical machine learning. He is the recipient of the 2013 Robert T. Chien Memorial Award from the University of Illinois for demonstrating excellence in research in electrical engineering and the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Data Storage Best Student Paper Award.
Frederick Hayden
Frederick Hayden is the Stuart S Richardson Professor Emeritus of Clinical Virology and Professor Emeritus of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health. Since joining the faculty in 1978 he has undertaken extensive clinical and laboratory-based research studies in therapeutics and vaccines for influenza and other respiratory viral infections. He continues to serve as consultant to multiple pharmaceutical and biotech companies on these topics. In recent years Dr. Hayden has become involved increasingly in international public health activities. During 2006-2008 he served as a medical officer in the Global Influenza Programme at the World Health Organization, Geneva and during 2008-2012 as influenza research coordinator within International Activities at the Wellcome Trust, London. Dr. Hayden chaired the writing committees for two WHO clinical consultations on avian H5N1 and one on pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza and continues to serve as a consultant to WHO on emerging viral infections including avian H7N9 influenza and continues to serve as a consultant to WHO on emerging viral infections including avian H7N9 influenza, MERS-CoV, and Ebola. In 2012-13 he worked with WHO colleagues to develop a new initiative, the Battle against Respiratory Viruses (BRAVE), to foster research on this important public health problem. During his work at the Wellcome Trust he also helped to establish a new federation of clinical research networks called the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) to improve the clinical research response to respiratory and other emerging infectious disease threats. ISARIC encompasses over 40 academic clinical research networks from 6 continents and has its Coordinating Center at Oxford University. After leaving the Trust he served as the interim chair of ISARIC and remains a member of its Executive Board. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and reviews, and co-edits the textbook Clinical Virology, the fourth edition will be published by the American Society for Microbiology later this year.
Frederick Hayden is the Stuart S Richardson Professor Emeritus of Clinical Virology and Professor Emeritus of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health. Since joining the faculty in 1978 he has undertaken extensive clinical and laboratory-based research studies in therapeutics and vaccines for influenza and other respiratory viral infections. He continues to serve as consultant to multiple pharmaceutical and biotech companies on these topics. In recent years Dr. Hayden has become involved increasingly in international public health activities. During 2006-2008 he served as a medical officer in the Global Influenza Programme at the World Health Organization, Geneva and during 2008-2012 as influenza research coordinator within International Activities at the Wellcome Trust, London. Dr. Hayden chaired the writing committees for two WHO clinical consultations on avian H5N1 and one on pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza and continues to serve as a consultant to WHO on emerging viral infections including avian H7N9 influenza and continues to serve as a consultant to WHO on emerging viral infections including avian H7N9 influenza, MERS-CoV, and Ebola. In 2012-13 he worked with WHO colleagues to develop a new initiative, the Battle against Respiratory Viruses (BRAVE), to foster research on this important public health problem. During his work at the Wellcome Trust he also helped to establish a new federation of clinical research networks called the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) to improve the clinical research response to respiratory and other emerging infectious disease threats. ISARIC encompasses over 40 academic clinical research networks from 6 continents and has its Coordinating Center at Oxford University. After leaving the Trust he served as the interim chair of ISARIC and remains a member of its Executive Board. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and reviews, and co-edits the textbook Clinical Virology, the fourth edition will be published by the American Society for Microbiology later this year.
Ann Hays
R. Ann Hays, MD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology with 10 years of experience as an academic clinician-educator-research. Prior to her academic career she practiced gastroenterology for 25 years in both urban and rural areas during which she served as hospital medical staff president, Board Director of large urban medical society, and president of a private gastroenterology practice. In response to the current C. difficile epidemic characterized by high recurrence rates, Dr. Hays created a collaboration with Infectious Disease, Geriatrics, and Microbiology that led to the establishment of one of the first clinics in the nation devoted to the care of patients with complicated C. difficile infection.
Subsequently she has collaborated with colleagues across grounds on NIH, GIDI, and a Commonwealth Health Research grants focusing on C. difficile immunologic and microbiologic pathophysiology and IMT (Intestinal Microbiota Transplant previously known as fecal microbiota transplant) as well as eConsultation for gastroenterology. She has successfully mentored numerous medical students and house staff officers who have achieved national recognition for their clinical research and rubric driven quality outcomes project in C. difficile and eConsultation.
R. Ann Hays, MD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology with 10 years of experience as an academic clinician-educator-research. Prior to her academic career she practiced gastroenterology for 25 years in both urban and rural areas during which she served as hospital medical staff president, Board Director of large urban medical society, and president of a private gastroenterology practice. In response to the current C. difficile epidemic characterized by high recurrence rates, Dr. Hays created a collaboration with Infectious Disease, Geriatrics, and Microbiology that led to the establishment of one of the first clinics in the nation devoted to the care of patients with complicated C. difficile infection.
Subsequently she has collaborated with colleagues across grounds on NIH, GIDI, and a Commonwealth Health Research grants focusing on C. difficile immunologic and microbiologic pathophysiology and IMT (Intestinal Microbiota Transplant previously known as fecal microbiota transplant) as well as eConsultation for gastroenterology. She has successfully mentored numerous medical students and house staff officers who have achieved national recognition for their clinical research and rubric driven quality outcomes project in C. difficile and eConsultation.
Brian Helmke
Brian Helmke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Helmke worked studies the fundamental mechanisms of force generation in the glideosomes of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. His research strategy uses a laser trap transducer to position a microsphere in contact with immobilized parasites and their surface exposed adhesion proteins. Motion of the microsphere within the trap reflects the activity of the actin-myosin complex (and any other force generating components) in the glideosome. His laboratory has exposed a number of exciting features of the glideosome. First and foremost, the glideosome is not intrinsically polar in its force generation; rather, force generation becomes aligned to the long axis of the cell approximately one minute after receptor ligation. They have also shown the reliance of this apparatus on dynamic actin filaments, cytoplasmic calcium, and a lysine methyltransferase identified by Dr. Ke Hu at Indiana University. An important aspect of the research is to identify phenotypic physical behaviors of T. gondii that are associated with actomyosin-based motility and host cell invasion. In particular, cell motility and shape change are being investigated as primary determinants of the ability to invade host tissue. His lab specializes in cellular mechanobiology, with an emphasis on cell mechanics, cell motility, and signaling. Their core technical expertise is in areas of quantitative live-cell microscopy and image analysis.
Brian Helmke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Helmke worked studies the fundamental mechanisms of force generation in the glideosomes of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. His research strategy uses a laser trap transducer to position a microsphere in contact with immobilized parasites and their surface exposed adhesion proteins. Motion of the microsphere within the trap reflects the activity of the actin-myosin complex (and any other force generating components) in the glideosome. His laboratory has exposed a number of exciting features of the glideosome. First and foremost, the glideosome is not intrinsically polar in its force generation; rather, force generation becomes aligned to the long axis of the cell approximately one minute after receptor ligation. They have also shown the reliance of this apparatus on dynamic actin filaments, cytoplasmic calcium, and a lysine methyltransferase identified by Dr. Ke Hu at Indiana University. An important aspect of the research is to identify phenotypic physical behaviors of T. gondii that are associated with actomyosin-based motility and host cell invasion. In particular, cell motility and shape change are being investigated as primary determinants of the ability to invade host tissue. His lab specializes in cellular mechanobiology, with an emphasis on cell mechanics, cell motility, and signaling. Their core technical expertise is in areas of quantitative live-cell microscopy and image analysis.
Scott Heysell
Scott K. Heysell is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health with prior field experience living and working in HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) endemic areas including rural South Africa, Tanzania, and Siberia. Dr. Heysell has focused research efforts in TB because it is the leading killer from an infectious disease worldwide, and drug-resistant TB and the emerging syndemic of diabetes/TB threaten to erode all prior gains in global TB control. Dr. Heysell's research focuses on optimizing pharmacokinetics and field-applicable drug-susceptibility tests for TB in populations at high risk of treatment failure. Dr. Heysell's work has contributed to the paradigm shift that TB treatment failure is significantly driven by individual pharmacokinetic variability and M. tuberculosis quantitative susceptibility differences rather than a patient's non-adherence to medication or other programmatic deficits. He now leads a NIH supported multinational cohort to establish pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets for the severe forms of TB (across sites in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Uganda and Siberia), and to build capacity for infectious diseases research more broadly at these locations. He additionally has successfully mentored Tanzanian Master's and PhD students in a range of TB science.
Scott K. Heysell is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health with prior field experience living and working in HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) endemic areas including rural South Africa, Tanzania, and Siberia. Dr. Heysell has focused research efforts in TB because it is the leading killer from an infectious disease worldwide, and drug-resistant TB and the emerging syndemic of diabetes/TB threaten to erode all prior gains in global TB control. Dr. Heysell's research focuses on optimizing pharmacokinetics and field-applicable drug-susceptibility tests for TB in populations at high risk of treatment failure. Dr. Heysell's work has contributed to the paradigm shift that TB treatment failure is significantly driven by individual pharmacokinetic variability and M. tuberculosis quantitative susceptibility differences rather than a patient's non-adherence to medication or other programmatic deficits. He now leads a NIH supported multinational cohort to establish pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets for the severe forms of TB (across sites in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Uganda and Siberia), and to build capacity for infectious diseases research more broadly at these locations. He additionally has successfully mentored Tanzanian Master's and PhD students in a range of TB science.
Eric Houpt
Eric Houpt is the Jack Gwaltney Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Virginia and is Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine. He and his group lead studies on the burden of infectious diseases, drug resistance, and emerging infections all over the world. He previously trained at Emory and the University of Chicago, and has worked as a physician and researcher in Papua New Guinea and at the Kilimanjaro Medical Centre in Tanzania. He was awarded the Bailey Ashford Medal by the American Society of Tropical Medicine, the Oswald Award for Mid-Career Achievement by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is a member of the CDC Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and has been the tuberculosis consultant for the Virginia Department of Health since 2009.
Eric Houpt is the Jack Gwaltney Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Virginia and is Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine. He and his group lead studies on the burden of infectious diseases, drug resistance, and emerging infections all over the world. He previously trained at Emory and the University of Chicago, and has worked as a physician and researcher in Papua New Guinea and at the Kilimanjaro Medical Centre in Tanzania. He was awarded the Bailey Ashford Medal by the American Society of Tropical Medicine, the Oswald Award for Mid-Career Achievement by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is a member of the CDC Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and has been the tuberculosis consultant for the Virginia Department of Health since 2009.
James Howe
James Howe is Professor and Director of the Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at UVA. He has longstanding research expertise in the areas of material interfaces, including the solid-liquid interface, as well as expertise utilizing static and in-situ high-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy techniques to study the structure, chemistry and dynamics of material interfaces at the sub-nanometer level. Prof. Howe is interested in understanding detailed mechanisms of biofilm formation and mitigation, using in-situ microscopy techniques and various engineering aspects of materials selection and surface design. He is particularly interested in understanding how bacteria/biofilms respond to electro-potential/chemical gradients and how these might be used to kill bacteria and control the spread of disease.
James Howe is Professor and Director of the Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at UVA. He has longstanding research expertise in the areas of material interfaces, including the solid-liquid interface, as well as expertise utilizing static and in-situ high-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy techniques to study the structure, chemistry and dynamics of material interfaces at the sub-nanometer level. Prof. Howe is interested in understanding detailed mechanisms of biofilm formation and mitigation, using in-situ microscopy techniques and various engineering aspects of materials selection and surface design. He is particularly interested in understanding how bacteria/biofilms respond to electro-potential/chemical gradients and how these might be used to kill bacteria and control the spread of disease.
Ku-Lung Hsu
Ku-Lung (Ken) Hsu is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology. Dr. Hsu’s research program is focused on developing chemical methods and probes to study the enzymatic, metabolic, and cellular mechanisms underlying immune function in mammalian physiology and disease. His long-term goal is to discover new lipid pathways that can be pharmacologically targeted for boosting host immune responses to infectious diseases and cancer and for treating chronic inflammation. To achieve these goals, Dr. Hsu’s group aims to bridge state-of-the-art chemical biology and quantitative mass spectrometry to enable enzyme, inhibitor, and metabolic pathway discovery in vivo.
Ku-Lung (Ken) Hsu is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology. Dr. Hsu’s research program is focused on developing chemical methods and probes to study the enzymatic, metabolic, and cellular mechanisms underlying immune function in mammalian physiology and disease. His long-term goal is to discover new lipid pathways that can be pharmacologically targeted for boosting host immune responses to infectious diseases and cancer and for treating chronic inflammation. To achieve these goals, Dr. Hsu’s group aims to bridge state-of-the-art chemical biology and quantitative mass spectrometry to enable enzyme, inhibitor, and metabolic pathway discovery in vivo.
Molly Hughes
Molly Hughes is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine. The Hughes laboratory investigates a select family of host interferon-inducible CXC chemokines known as CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 as novel antimicrobial agents to combat bacterial pathogens that cause pulmonary infections. They have demonstrated that CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 exhibit antimicrobial effects against both the spore and vegetative bacillus form of B. anthracis. They have identified the putative target of CXCL11 as an FtsX permease component of an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, which is widely conserved across Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial species and thus, may be a “druggable target”. While the Hughes laboratory’s longstanding focus has been on determining the mechanism(s) by which CXCL10 kills Bacillus anthracis spores and vegetative cells, they expanded the focus to include studying the mechanism(s) by which CXCL10, and its related chemokines, kill Gram-negative bacterial pathogens since the initially identified bacterial target, FtsX, is so highly conserved amongst bacterial species and because these chemokines were \ effectively kill Gram-negative bacteria as well.
Molly Hughes is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine. The Hughes laboratory investigates a select family of host interferon-inducible CXC chemokines known as CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 as novel antimicrobial agents to combat bacterial pathogens that cause pulmonary infections. They have demonstrated that CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 exhibit antimicrobial effects against both the spore and vegetative bacillus form of B. anthracis. They have identified the putative target of CXCL11 as an FtsX permease component of an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, which is widely conserved across Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial species and thus, may be a “druggable target”. While the Hughes laboratory’s longstanding focus has been on determining the mechanism(s) by which CXCL10 kills Bacillus anthracis spores and vegetative cells, they expanded the focus to include studying the mechanism(s) by which CXCL10, and its related chemokines, kill Gram-negative bacterial pathogens since the initially identified bacterial target, FtsX, is so highly conserved amongst bacterial species and because these chemokines were \ effectively kill Gram-negative bacteria as well.
Donald F. Hunt
Donald Hunt is the University Professor of Chemistry and Pathology. He has received numerous accolades including three distinguished awards from the American Chemical Society, The Thompson Medal, and Protein Society's Christian B. Anfinsen Award. In 2014, he was inducted into the America Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Hunt pioneered efforts to develop methods and instrumentation that set the standard for ultrasensitive detection and characterization of proteins and peptides by mass spectrometry. These contributions continue to underpin the whole field of proteomics and have had a dramatic impact on research in immunology, cell signaling, cell migration, epigenetics and cancer. The ability to characterize complex mixtures of proteins, antibody structures, or MHC peptides during infections is essential to many future research collaborations in the Institute.
Donald Hunt is the University Professor of Chemistry and Pathology. He has received numerous accolades including three distinguished awards from the American Chemical Society, The Thompson Medal, and Protein Society's Christian B. Anfinsen Award. In 2014, he was inducted into the America Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Hunt pioneered efforts to develop methods and instrumentation that set the standard for ultrasensitive detection and characterization of proteins and peptides by mass spectrometry. These contributions continue to underpin the whole field of proteomics and have had a dramatic impact on research in immunology, cell signaling, cell migration, epigenetics and cancer. The ability to characterize complex mixtures of proteins, antibody structures, or MHC peptides during infections is essential to many future research collaborations in the Institute.