Kirti A. Karunakaran
A5035406560- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- HIV Research and Treatment
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- interferon and immune responses
- Erythrocyte Function and Pathophysiology
- Blood groups and transfusion
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
Emory and Henry College
2025
Emory National Primate Research Center
2021-2025
Vanderbilt University
2024-2025
Emory University
2022-2023
Type I interferons (IFN-I) are critical mediators of innate control viral infections but also drive the recruitment inflammatory cells to sites infection, a key feature severe coronavirus disease 2019. Here, IFN-I signaling was modulated in rhesus macaques (RMs) before and during acute SARS-CoV-2 (severe respiratory syndrome 2) infection using mutated IFN-α2 (IFN-modulator; IFNmod), which has previously been shown reduce binding endogenous IFN-I. IFNmod treatment uninfected RMs observed...
Abstract Rhesus macaques (RMs) are vital models for studying human disease, and invaluable to pre-clinical pipelines vaccine discovery testing. Particularly in this regard, they often used study infection vaccine-associated broadly neutralizing antibody responses. This has resulted an increasing demand improved genetic resources the immunoglobulin (IG) loci, which harbor antibody-encoding genes. However, highly polymorphic structurally variable nature of these loci have them historically...
The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants capable subverting vaccine and infection-induced immunity suggests the advantage a broadly protective against betacoronaviruses (β-CoVs). Recent studies have isolated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from recovered-vaccinated donors neutralizing many other β-CoVs. Many these mAbs target conserved S2 stem region spike protein, rather than receptor binding domain contained within S1 primarily targeted by current vaccines. One S2-directed mAbs, CC40.8,...
HIV associated immune activation (IA) is with increased morbidity in people living (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy, and remains a barrier for strategies aimed at reducing the reservoir. The underlying mechanisms of IA have not been definitively elucidated, however, persistent production Type I IFNs expression ISGs considered to be one primary factors. Plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) are major producer IFN during viral infections, highly immunomodulatory acute SIV infection, however their role...
Abstract Type-I interferons (IFN-I) are critical mediators of innate control viral infections, but also drive recruitment inflammatory cells to sites infection, a key feature severe COVID-19. Here, and for the first time, IFN-I signaling was modulated in rhesus macaques (RMs) prior during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection using mutated IFNα2 (IFN-modulator; IFNmod), which has previously been shown reduce binding endogenous IFN-I. In SARS-CoV-2-infected RMs, IFNmod reduced both antiviral ISGs....
The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants capable subverting vaccine and infection-induced immunity suggests the advantage a broadly protective against betacoronaviruses (beta-CoVs). Recent studies have isolated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from recovered-vaccinated donors neutralizing many other beta-CoVs. Many these mAbs target conserved S2 stem region spike protein, rather receptor binding domain contained within S1 primarily targeted by current vaccines. One S2-directed mAbs,...
A protective HIV-1 vaccine has been hampered by a limited understanding of how B cells acquire neutralizing activity. Our previous vaccines expressing two different envelopes elicited robust antigen specific serum IgG titers in 20 rhesus macaques; yet from only animals neutralized the autologous virus. Here, we used high throughput immunoglobulin receptor and single cell RNA sequencing to characterize overall expansion, recall, maturation longitudinally over 90 weeks. Diversification...