Melanie Ott, MD, PhD

Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology
Professor
Department of Medicine
[email protected]
+1 415 734-4807
Research Overview: 

We study viruses of today to be prepared for the viruses of tomorrow. Currently, we focus on multiple human pathogens—the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), Zika virus, the hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV), influenza A and B , SARS-CoV-2 and multiple common cold coronaviruses. We use four main technologies—human organoids, rapid quantitative diagnostics, a viral protein expression library, and transcriptomics. We deliberately apply lessons learned from one virus to others; specifically, we search for common host and viral factors that can be targeted by panviral therapeutics against respiratory viruses, define new ways to silence and cure chronic viral infections such as HIV and HBV and develop versatile, easy to reprogram CRISPR diagnostics that use mobile phones as readers. We welcome graduate students into our diverse and friendly research teams as equal partners and nurture their scientific success and personal growth.

Primary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Molecular Pathogenesis of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Infections

Websites

Publications: 

Structure-based discovery of highly bioavailable, covalent, broad-spectrum coronavirus MPro inhibitors with potent in vivo efficacy.

Science advances

Detomasi TC, Degotte G, Huang S, Suryawanshi RK, Diallo A, Lizzadro L, Zaptero-Belinchón FJ, Taha TY, Li J, Richards AL, Hantz ER, Alam Z, Montano M, McCavitt-Malvido M, Gumpena R, Partridge JR, Correy GJ, Matsui Y, Charvat AF, Glenn IS, Rosecrans J, Revalde JL, Anderson D, Hultquist JF, Arkin MR, Neitz RJ, Swaney DL, Krogan NJ, Shoichet BK, Verba KA, Ott M, Renslo AR, Craik CS

Enhanced RNA replication and pathogenesis in recent SARS-CoV-2 variants harboring the L260F mutation in NSP6.

PLoS pathogens

Taha TY, Ezzatpour S, Hayashi JM, Ye C, Zapatero-Belinchón FJ, Rosecrans JA, Kimmerly GR, Chen IP, Walcott K, Kurianowicz A, Jorgens DM, Chaplin NR, Choi A, Buchholz DW, Sahler J, Hilt ZT, Imbiakha B, Vagi-Szmola C, Montano M, Stevenson E, Gordon M, Swaney DL, Krogan NJ, Whittaker GR, Martinez-Sobrido L, Aguilar HC, Ott M

Torsional twist of the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 SUD-N and SUD-M domains.

Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society

Rosas-Lemus M, Minasov G, Brunzelle JS, Taha TY, Lemak S, Yin S, Shuvalova L, Rosecrans J, Khanna K, Seifert HS, Savchenko A, Stogios PJ, Ott M, Satchell KJF

SARS-CoV-2 evolution balances conflicting roles of N protein phosphorylation.

PLoS pathogens

Syed AM, Ciling A, Chen IP, Carlson CR, Adly AN, Martin HS, Taha TY, Khalid MM, Price N, Bouhaddou M, Ummadi MR, Moen JM, Krogan NJ, Morgan DO, Ott M, Doudna JA

Intracellular lipid droplets are exploited by Junín virus in a nucleoprotein-dependent process.

Journal of cell science

Vazquez CA, Escudero-Pérez B, Hayashi JM, Leon KE, Moreira JP, Castañeda Cataña MA, Groseth A, Ott M, Oestereich L, Muñoz-Fontela C, Garcia CC, Cordo SM