John Rose, PhD

The research in our laboratory is focused on novel approaches to vaccine development based on recombinant viruses and on specific targeting of viral vectors. Several years ago our group developed methodology for generating recombinants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) starting from plasmid DNA. VSV is a simple membrane-enveloped, negative-strand RNA virus that grows to high titers in most animal cells. These recombinant VSVs expressing foreign viral proteins induce potent cellular and humoral immune responses to the foreign proteins in animals and protect from infection or disease caused by other viruses such as influenza, measles, respiratory syncytial virus, SARS, and a monkey AIDS virus. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which the recombinants generate such strong immune responses and in ways to enhance these responses further while improving vector safety. In addition, we are developing novel priming and boosting vaccine vectors based on propagating replicons of positive-strand RNA viruses.

Specialized Terms: Virology; Vaccine and gene expression vectors based on rhabdoviruses; Membrane protein assembly, transport and targeting; Viral assembly