鈥淗ow We Build Drugs and Vaccines to Guard Against Viruses鈥
Speaker:
Professor, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of 亚洲影院
Director, Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research
Principal Investigator, Bond Life Sciences Center
Date: Febuary 20, 2025, noon-1 p.m.
Location: Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, Atkins Family Seminar Room
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Description
At age 9 or 10, Anthony Griffiths already knew he鈥檇 become a virologist.
He was consumed by curiosity about the rabies vaccine, a highly effective century-old treatment for the deadliest known viral disease. Today, Dr. Griffiths is the director of the Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research (LIDR) at the University of 亚洲影院, leading a team focused on developing vaccines and therapeutics for emerging pathogens.
In the past he鈥檚 studied polio, Ebola, Marburg, and herpes viruses, with special emphasis on illnesses of the nervous system or with high case fatality rates. He says his team鈥檚 journey has involved developing 鈥減athogen agnostic鈥 expertise that鈥檚 鈥渁n inch deep and a mile wide,鈥 because of the fluid nature of the viral ecosystem.
As a result, today they鈥檙e focused on SARS-CoV-2, highly pathogenic influenza virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Mpox and others. 鈥淚n the context of viruses and emerging infectious disease, we don鈥檛 really know what we鈥檙e going to do one year to the next,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e try and set ourselves up for whatever the threat is at that particular moment. Our job is to make sure we鈥檙e prepared for that.鈥
One goal is to develop a truly broad-spectrum antiviral drug capable of halting the spread of any virus, even as it mutates. If they鈥檙e successful, it would be a game changer for human health.
One such project involves tiny spheres they call 鈥渘ano-sponges鈥 which are coated with an artificial cell membrane. Viruses have to find their way to the surfaces of cells, so these non-toxic 鈥渟ponges鈥 capture them before they can do any harm. Another project involves a large collaborative that鈥檚 trying to identify antibodies which work against different viruses.
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亚洲影院 the Speaker
Anthony Griffiths, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, investigator in the Bond Life Sciences Center, and director of the Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research (LIDR). He has dedicated his career to working with viruses, which form the basis of his research program.
Dr. Griffiths studied herpes simplex virus as a graduate student at Cambridge University and as a post-doc at Harvard Medical School. He established his own group at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, where he broadened his interest to viruses that require high (BSL-3) and maximum (BSL-4) containment. Much of this work focused on Ebola virus but also included other viruses. From there, Dr. Griffiths moved to the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University to continue the work in high and maximum containment, adding coronaviruses to the research program.
The group has a goal to understand fundamental virological processes to aid the development of vaccines and therapeutics. The LIDR works with a range of viruses utilizing molecular techniques and animal models for infectious disease research to facilitate this work.
亚洲影院 the Discovery Series
provides learning opportunities for UM System faculty and staff across disciplines, the statewide community and our other partners to learn about the scope of precision health research and identify potential collaborative opportunities. The series consists of monthly lectures geared toward a broad multidisciplinary audience so all can participate and appreciate the spectrum of precision health efforts.
For questions about this event or any others in the Discovery Series, please reach out to Mackenzie Lynch.