Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute
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vgti.bsky.social
Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute
@vgti.bsky.social
VGTI provides lifesaving solutions through transformative biomedical discovery and research, enabling the prevention and cure of global infectious diseases.
www.ohsu.edu/vaccine-gene-therapy-institute
In their newly published paper, our Frueh Lab with their contributors characterized the outcome of primary rhesus CMV (RhCMV) infection in pregnant, immunocompetent, RhCMV-naïve rhesus macaques. This model provides new insights into the complexity of CMV vertical transmission and...
November 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
In this study, our Picker and Hansen lab teams with their contributors, provide preliminary evidence that combining their selected orthogonal antiviral mechanisms can offer increased protection against SIV.

Read the full article here:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40529575/
November 11, 2025 at 5:22 PM
In this publication, our Frueh Lab and their contributors, expand on their previous findings related to HLA-E surface expression. This updated study reveals previously unrecognized endosomal trafficking pathways and regulatory mechanisms that distinguish HLA-E from classical HLA class I molecules.
October 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
In their recent publication, our Streblow lab with their contributors, explore the emergence of mosquito-borne alphaviruses that cause chronic arthritis or encephalitis and highlight the urgent need for broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.

Read more at: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41090377/
October 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Leronlimab directly binds the extracellular domains of CCR5, modulates downstream signaling and potentially can slow, reverse, or prevent fibrosis. In this proof‐of‐concept study, our Hansen Lab with contributors, demonstrated that leronlimab has a favorable safety profile and was well tolerated.
October 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
In this recent publication our Bimber, Hansen, Picker lab teams and their contributors demonstrate that systemic vaccination promotes a Trm cell response in barrier compartments and that Trm cells repurpose abundant neighboring stromal, parenchymal, and immune cells to amplify alarm signals...
October 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Liver dysfunction is more common and severe among people with HIV than in the general population. In this recent publication, our Burwitz affiliate lab explores the correlation between different cell types in the IFN-1 response, focusing on macrophage subsets during the acute phase of SIV infection.
October 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
In their recent publication, our Tafesse affiliate lab with their contributors, explore SARS-CoV-2 and whether the patterns of host lipid rewiring remained consistent across variants and whether the changes in the abundance of lipid classes are related to changes in the expression...
September 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
In collaboration with Dr. Seley-Radtke’s group at the University of Maryland, our Hirsch lab has contributed to a study identifying a new series of thiophene-expanded tricyclic nucleosides as potential antiviral therapeutics. In addition, their corresponding prodrugs were also pursued to probe...
September 17, 2025 at 8:53 PM
"Everything you always wanted to know about MHC-E, but were afraid to ask.... is covered in this Nature Review, the result of a team effort together with Louis Picker here at OHSU and Andrew McMichael, Geraldine Gillespie and Persephone Borrow from University of Oxford.
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September 4, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Our Sacha Affiliate Lab, with their contributors, have recently published a new study where they explored the impact of obesity on the gut microbiome and microbial translocation (MT) biomarkers during HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART). Amazing work done by all!
September 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This study by Dr Hansen et al. demonstrates that CMV-based vaccines protect against SIV even when highly attenuated by deleting a glycoprotein essential for CMV entry. The remarkable ability to uncouple viral spreading from its immunogenicity is a unique feature of CMV based vectors and...
August 29, 2025 at 9:37 PM
This recently published paper titled, "An immune-focused supplemental alignment pipeline captures information missed from dominant single-cell RNA-seq analyses, including allele-specific MHC-I regulation" showcases an incredible collaboration between between the VGTI Labs and Affiliate Labs.
August 22, 2025 at 5:59 PM
There are currently no approved therapies or vaccines for Powassan virus infection. In this recent publication, our Hirsch lab and their contributors, developed a POW virus-like particle (POW-VLP) based vaccine adjuvanted with the novel synthetic Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist INI-4001.
August 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Our Hancock, Caposio, and Streblow Labs with their contributors, have recently published this review on the current understanding of HCMV latency. They focus on cross-cutting principles derived collectively from in vitro experimental culture models and in vivo animal models using the...
August 7, 2025 at 6:22 PM
In this incredible collaboration our Estes, Okoye, Axthelm, Hansen, Picker, Bimber affiliate and lab teams— present the RIRA, the first immune-focused macaque single-cell multi-tissue atlas. They contrasted transcriptional profiles against immune lineages, using...
August 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Recently publishing a paper on Yellow Fever our Burwitz, Axthelm, Estes, Bimber, and Sacha affiliate lab teams, further expand the potential clinical use of our YFV-specific nmAb. Which could be used during an outbreak for immediate prophylactic immunity or for patients with measurable serum viremia
July 31, 2025 at 4:59 PM
In this recent publication our Hirsch, Streblow, and Sacha lab teams with their contributors, examine the effects of the COVID pandemic occurred in the context of the global obesity epidemic, and is the extent to which pre-existing obesity modifies long-term responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
July 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
CHIKV (Chikungunya virus) replication relies on the multifunctional nsP2 protein. In their recently published paper, our Hirsch lab team with their contributors, report the resolution of oxaspiropiperidine 1, into its constitutive enantiomers and characterization of their antiviral activity.
July 23, 2025 at 6:02 PM
In this recently published paper, the Wilder lab collaborated with MalarVx, Inc and other contributors to develop a 3D in vitro culture model that mimics the mosquito midgut environment enabling mass production of haemolymph-like Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites entirely outside of mosquitoes.
July 14, 2025 at 6:23 PM
In this recently published paper, our Axthelm affiliate lab team with our Hirsch and Streblow lab teams and their contributors, show the ZIKV-TH strain MU1-2017 behaves similarly to the ZIKV-PR strain and it provides evidence of in-utero infection with an additional contemporary strain of ZIKV.
June 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Congratulations to our DeFilippis Lab and their recent publication, "Comparative molecular, innate, and adaptive impacts of chemically diverse STING agonists."

Read the full article here:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40517500/
June 26, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Congratulations to our Picker and Hansen Lab teams and contributors, for the recent publication on neutralizing antibodies and MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cells. Which have shown the ability to protect against the simian counterpart of HIV.

Read the article here:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40529575
June 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Congratulations to our Estes lab team, and their contributors, on the recent publishing of a new paper! Their findings demonstrate that cell activation persists in the brain of VS PWH and is associated with HIV DNA in the brain.

Read the full article here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40469287/
June 10, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Congratulations to our Caposio lab team and their contributors! This peer-reviewed study designed an RNA sequencing study to compare the transcriptional profile of HCMV infection in the presence and absence of UL135 and UL138 genes.

Read the full article here:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40434638/
June 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM