CEZID Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series 2021
Dr. James Crowe
Friday, December 17th, 2021, 3:00 PM CST
Presents: “Human monoclonal antibodies for emerging infectious diseases”
Dr. Crowe is Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Ann Scott Carell Chair, and Director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center.
His laboratory has a broad portfolio of work in the area of human immunology and immune repertoires, with an aim to discovery of mechanisms important to development of new vaccines. His laboratory studies the molecular, genetic, and structural basis of human immune responses to virus infection or vaccination.
He has studied antibody-mediated immunity to a wide variety of agents of bioterror and emerging infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, chikungunya virus, dengue viruses, Ebola and Marburg viruses, Zika virus and others.
Dr. Jesse Bloom
Friday, November 12, 2021, 3:00 PM CST
Presents: “Interpreting the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 ”
Jesse Bloom is a Professor at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His lab uses a mix of experimental and computational approaches to study the evolution of viruses, with a special focus on influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
Jesse received his PhD in Chemistry from Caltech (where he worked with Frances Arnold), and then performed postdoctoral researcher with David Baltimore. He has been a faculty member at the Fred Hutch since 2011.
“In my lab, we use computers to understand and visualize evolutionary information,” he said. “The challenge for us is to make sense of all this information, which is telling us something about how a virus is changing in a significant way. “
Dr. Xiang-Jin Meng
Friday, October 22, 2021
Presents: “Hepatitis E virus: expanding host range and cross-species infection”
X.J. Meng is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, an elected Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology, and an elected Fellow of National Academy of Inventors.
His research focuses on delineating the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and vaccine development against a number of emerging and zoonotic viruses, including hepatitis E virus, circoviruses, arterivirus, and coronaviruses.
Meng discovered swine hepatitis E virus from pigs and avian hepatitis E virus from chickens, and demonstrated cross-species infection of hepatitis E virus, which led to the recognition of human hepatitis E as a zoonotic disease.
Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Friday, May 28, 2021, 3:00 PM CST
Presents: "SARS-CoV-2: What we have learned so far ”
Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka was educated in Japan, receiving his DVM in 1978 and his PhD in 1983 from Hokkaido University. He established the technique of reverse genetics, which allows the generation of ‘designer’ influenza viruses. This technology was used to develop the flu vaccine FluMist® and candidate bird flu vaccines. Dr. Kawaoka discovered what makes bird flu viruses so deadly and how they jump from birds to humans. In addition to his influenza research, Dr. Kawaoka also studies Ebola virus. His group worked in Sierra Leone during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak and continues to work with Ebola survivors. He is currently developing an Ebola vaccine, which entered clinical trials in 2019. In February 2020, he began research on SARS-CoV-2 to understand how the virus causes severe disease and to develop vaccines. In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Kawaoka was awarded the Robert Koch Award in 2006; he received the Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) in 2011 and the Japan Academy Award in 2016 from the Emperor of Japan for his influenza research. In 2013, he was elected as an international member of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2015, he received the UNESCO Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology.