Viruses and Vaccines
Monday, February 8, 2021
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Professor
Laboratory of Retrovirology
The Rockefeller University
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viruses have long been a scourge of humanity, causing some of the most devastating pandemics. Remarkably, viruses are present in our DNA and, as such, are also part of who we are. Viruses can be engineered to execute useful tasks such a gene delivery, and can also be used to build vaccines. As a virologist, Paul Bieniasz, Ph.D., has spent much of his career working on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. He is especially interested in understanding how viruses replicate within the cells of their hosts, and how those cells respond to attack. Recently, Dr. Bieniasz and his partner, Dr. Theodora Hatziioannou, have collaborated with investigators at Rockefeller, the New York Blood Center, and other institutions to help develop effective antibody therapies for COVID-19 patients.
Check Out More on the Speaker
Additional Readings
Co-option of an endogenous retrovirus envelope for host defense in hominid ancestors(opens in new window)
Escape from neutralizing antibodies by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants(opens in new window)
