Nashville, Tennessee, United States
I provide scientific support for Merck's vaccines programs including pediatric viral and pneumococcal, HPV, RSV, Dengue, and Ebola vaccines, as well as research in the areas of vaccination confidence and vaccine biology.
I served as Director of the Coronavirus Antivirals program at VUMC. Our team tested antivirals for potency, efficacy, and pan-coronavirus activity, and we elucidated mechanisms of action and resistance. The program was initiated with a focus on developing broad-spectrum coronavirus antivirals for the treatment of MERS-CoV infections and to prepare for a possible worldwide CoV pandemic. Our most notable accomplishments include preclinical studies for remdesivir (Veklury; Gilead Sciences) and molnupiravir (Ridgeback Therapeutics/Merck). We also quantified neutralizing antibody titers in sera from subjects enrolled in Moderna mRNA1273 trial.
The mission of the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) is to innovate the translation of research into clinical treatments. During my time at VICTR, I served as project manager for the operations and coordination of the Human Vaccines Project. The Human Vaccines Project is an international network of academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and governments and is supported by world-leading experts in vaccinology, immunology, and infectious diseases. Its mission is to accelerate the development of next generation vaccines against infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. A key component of the Project is to decode the immune system by sequencing the entire repertoire of B- and T-cell receptors (the “Immunome”) of participants of all ages, races, and geographical backgrounds. The sequences will be de-identified and posted in a public database freely accessible to the world’s scientific community. In addition, the Human Vaccines Project will perform small vaccine trials to discover the rules of human immunology to understand how to generate life-long immunity. This wealth of new information will allow us to predict vaccine efficacy and durability in people of all ages and backgrounds and enable the rational design of next-generation vaccines.
• Studied immune interactions of parasites and viruses in the laboratory of Dr. Michael R. Strand, Member of the National Academy of Sciences. • Mentored students and taught undergraduate-level classes. • Presented research findings at scientific meetings. • Published four peer-reviewed research manuscripts. • Earned award for Outstanding Ph.D. student, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
• Studied paternal sex ratio chromosome in parasitoid wasp (minor thesis) • Identified baculovirus oral infectivity factor (major thesis) • Validated IMPDH as drug target for Cryptosporidium parvum (internship) • Presented research findings at scientific meetings. • Published three peer-reviewed research manuscripts.