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: 

Fibrin drives thromboinflammation and neuropathology in COVID-19.

Nature

Ryu JK, Yan Z, Montano M, Sozmen EG, Dixit K, Suryawanshi RK, Matsui Y, Helmy E, Kaushal P, Makanani SK, Deerinck TJ, Meyer-Franke A, Rios Coronado PE, Trevino TN, Shin MG, Tognatta R, Liu Y, Schuck R, Le L, Miyajima H, Mendiola AS, Arun N, Guo B, Taha TY, Agrawal A, MacDonald E, Aries O, Yan A, Weaver O, Petersen MA, Meza Acevedo R, Alzamora MDPS, Thomas R, Traglia M, Kouznetsova VL, Tsigelny IF, Pico AR, Red-Horse K, Ellisman MH, Krogan NJ, Bouhaddou M, Ott M, Greene WC, Akassoglou K

Understanding emerging and re-emerging viruses to facilitate pandemic preparedness.

Nature microbiology

Zapatero-Belinchón FJ, Kumar P, Ott M, Schwartz O, Sigal A

Neutralizing and binding antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 with hybrid immunity in pregnancy.

NPJ vaccines

Li L, Matsui Y, Prahl MK, Cassidy AG, Golan Y, Jigmeddagva U, Ozarslan N, Lin CY, Buarpung S, Gonzalez VJ, Chidboy MA, Basilio E, Lynch KL, Song D, Jegatheesan P, Rai DS, Govindaswami B, Needens J, Rincon M, Myatt L, Taha TY, Montano M, Ott M, Greene WC, Gaw SL

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

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

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

The Mac1 ADP-ribosylhydrolase is a Therapeutic Target for SARS-CoV-2.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology

Suryawanshi RK, Jaishankar P, Correy GJ, Rachman MM, O'Leary PC, Taha TY, Zapatero-Belinchón FJ, McCavitt-Malvido M, Doruk YU, Stevens MGV, Diolati ME, Jogalekar MP, Richards AL, Montano M, Rosecrans J, Matthay M, Togo T, Gonciarz RL, Gopalkrishnan S, Neitz RJ, Krogan NJ, Swaney DL, Shoichet BK, Ott M, Renslo AR, Ashworth A, Fraser JS