A5000847606- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- interferon and immune responses
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Circular RNAs in diseases
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Biopolymer Synthesis and Applications
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Immune Response and Inflammation
- Pregnancy and Medication Impact
- Extracellular vesicles in disease
- RNA modifications and cancer
University of Pittsburgh
2024-2025
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
2020-2025
Rütgers (Germany)
2023
Pennsylvania State University
2022-2023
Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy
2023
Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
2023
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
2021-2022
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2018-2019
The lasting threat of viral pandemics necessitates the development tailorable first-response antivirals with specific but adaptive architectures for treatment novel infections. Here, such an antiviral platform has been developed based on a mixture hetero-peptides self-assembled into functionalized β-sheets capable multivalent binding to protein complexes. One domain each hetero-peptide is designed specifically bind certain proteins, while another self-assembles fibrils epitope...
Innate immunity during acute infection plays a critical role in the disease severity of severe respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East (MERS), is likely to contribute COVID-19 outcomes. Defensins are highly abundant innate immune factors neutrophils epithelial cells, including intestinal Paneth exhibit antimicrobial immune-modulatory activities. In this study, we investigated effects human α- β-defensins RC101, θ-defensin analog, on SARS-CoV-2 infection. We found that neutrophil peptides...
There is mounting evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans into many domestic, companion, and wild animal species. Research indicates that have infected white-tailed deer, deer-to-deer transmission has occurred, indicating deer could be a wildlife reservoir source novel variants. We examined the hypothesis Omicron variant actively asymptomatically infecting free-ranging New York City. Between December 2021 February 2022, 155 on Staten Island, York, were anesthetized for gross...
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly recognized component of the transcriptome with critical roles in autoimmune diseases and viral pathogenesis. To address importance circRNA RNA transcriptome, we systematically identified characterized circRNAs encoded by genomes betacoronaviruses using both bioinformatical experimental approaches. We predicted 351, 224, 2764 derived from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV, Middle East coronavirus, respectively....
SARS-CoV-2 virions enter the host cells by docking their spike glycoproteins to membrane-bound Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2. After intracellular assembly, newly formed are released from infected propagate infection, using extra-cytoplasmic ACE2 mechanism. However, molecular events underpinning transmission between not fully understood. Here, we report findings of a scanning Helium-ion microscopy study performed on Vero E6 with mNeonGreen-expressing SARS-CoV-2. Our data reveal,...
SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and evade vaccine immunity, necessitating vaccines that offer broad protection across variants. Conventional mRNA face cost scalability challenges, prompting the exploration of alternative platforms like trans-amplifying (TA) advantages in safety, manufacturability, antigen dose optimization. Using consensus sequences immunodominant antigens is a promising design strategy for board cross-protection. Combining these two features, we designed evaluated TA...
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) accounts for approximately 17% of all Mycobacterium (M.tb) infections globally. Immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV infection or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), are at an increased risk EPTB. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients and T2DM exhibit diminished synthesis glutathione (GSH) synthesizing enzymes. In a murine model, we showed the diethyl maleate (DEM)-induced depletion GSH in lungs led to M.tb burden impaired pulmonary...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to pose a significant threat public health. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates the capacity infect various non-human animal species, including both captive and free-living animals. Earlier experimental studies revealed low susceptibility of domestic cattle (Bos taurus) ancestral B.1 lineage; however, recent findings indicate greater permissiveness Delta variant. While some detected evidence infection in Italy, Germany,...
Abstract HIV-1 Tat protein contributes to HIV-neuropathogenesis in several ways including its ability be taken up by uninfected bystander CNS cells and activate inflammatory host genes causing synaptic injury. Here, we report that the globally dominant clade C, displays a naturally occurring polymorphism, R57S, basic domain, which mediates cellular uptake. We examined effect of this polymorphism on uptake consequences for gene transactivation. In decapeptides corresponding R57S substitution...
In April 2024, ten cats died in a rural South Dakota (SD) residence, showing respiratory and neurological symptoms. Necropsy laboratory testing of two confirmed H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infection. The viral genome sequences are closely related to recent SD cattle sequences. Cat genomes had unique mutations, including T143A haemagglutinin, known affect infectivity immune evasion, novel mutations PA protein (F314L, L342Q) that may polymerase activity virulence, suggesting potential virus...
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disproportionately affects immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, with the latter group being more vulnerable to severe death. However, differential pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in context a specific immunological niche remains unknown. Similarly, systematic analysis pathology various extrapulmonary organs hosts during infection is not fully understood. We used hamster model infection, which recapitulates pathophysiology patients...
The pathologic consequences of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) include elevated inflammation and dysregulated vascular functions associated with thrombosis. In general, disruption homeostasis ensuing prothrombotic events are driven by activated platelets, monocytes, macrophages, which form aggregates (thrombi) attached to the endothelium lining vessel walls. However, molecular pathways underpinning pathological interactions between myeloid cells during COVID-19 remain undefined. Here, we...
We present a robust approach for cellular detection, imaging, localization, and quantification of human viral encoded circular RNAs (circRNA) using amplified fluorescence in situ hybridization (ampFISH). In this procedure, pair hairpin probes bind next to each other at contiguous stretches sequence then undergo conformational reorganization which initiates target-dependent chain reaction (HCR) resulting deposition an fluorescent signal the site. By harnessing capabilities both ampFISH...
Both active tuberculosis (TB) and asymptomatic latent Mycobacterium (M. tb) infection (LTBI) cause significant health burdens to humans worldwide. Individuals with immunocompromising conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), have a weakened ability control M. tb are more susceptible reactivation of LTBI diseases. T2DM cases known glutathione (GSH) deficiency impaired immune cell function, including the granulomatous response infection. We previously reported that liposomal (L-GSH)...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects many mammals, and SARS-CoV-2 circulation in nonhuman animals may increase the risk of novel variant emergence. Cats are highly susceptible to infection, there were cases virus transmission between cats humans. The objective this study was assess prevalence infection an urban setting. We investigated infections domestic community city Pittsburgh (n = 272). While no tested positive for viral RNA, 35 (12.86%)...
Cellular ESCRT machinery plays pivotal role in HIV-1 budding and release. Extracellular stimuli that modulate egress are currently unknown. We found CCL2 induced by clade B (HIV-1B) infection of macrophages enhanced virus production, while immuno-depletion reversed this effect. Additionally, C (HIV-1C) was refractory to levels. show CCL2-mediated increase production requires Gag late motif LYPX present HIV-1B, but absent HIV-1C, ALIX protein recruits III complex. sequestered F-actin...
Introduction The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection involves pulmonary inflammation that can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome, a primary cause of lung damage/fibrosis in patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Currently, there is no efficacious therapy available alleviate fibrosis COVID-19 cases. In this proof-of-concept study, we evaluated the effect CC-11050, small molecule phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, dampening and hamster...
Influenza D virus (IDV), the cattle flu virus, is a novel multi-host RNA circulating silently worldwide, with widespread seropositivity among US cattle, reaching up to 80% in some areas raising potential threat of cattle-to-human transmission. Currently, five genetic lineages IDV have been described, but their evolutionary dynamics not studied. Although was first identified 2011, our comprehensive analysis all known genomes suggests that earliest ancestors likely evolved towards end 20
Background: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) accounts for a fifth of all Mycobacterium (M. tb) infections worldwide. The rise multidrug resistance in M. tb alongside the hepatotoxicity associated with antibiotics presents challenges managing and treating (TB), thereby prompting need new therapeutic approaches. Administration liposomal glutathione (L-GSH) has previously been shown to lower oxidative stress, enhance granulomatous response, reduce burden lungs tb-infected mice. However,...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), believed to have originated from a bat species, can infect wide range of non-human hosts. Bats are known harbor hundreds coronaviruses capable spillover into human populations. Recent studies shown significant variation in the susceptibility among species SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that little brown bats (LBB) express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor and transmembrane serine protease 2, which accessible support binding....
Animal husbandry serves as a source of provision high-quality animal protein to the entire world population. Farm animals are exposed different types stressors at various stages their life cycle. The climate change phenomenon also imposes additional stress on due extreme temperature (heat and cold) unavailability feed, etc. Such stimuli induce release hormones such epinephrine, norepinephrine cortisol in animals. These reduce host’s production, reproduction influence immune mechanisms....
Multiple domestic and wild animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cattle swine experimental The unchecked transmission of in hosts could lead virus adaptation the emergence novel variants. In addition, spillover subsequent livestock significantly impact food security as well public health. Therefore, it is essential monitor for spillover. We developed optimized species-specific indirect ELISAs (iELISAs) detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies cattle, swine, chickens using spike...