Laboratory Research

John Zaia, M.D. – Antiviral Research
Zaia, department chair, joined City of Hope from Harvard in 1980. He directs two clinical research labs, the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Lab and the HIV Lab, with interests in antiviral development in the area of herpes viruses and HIV. The CMV laboratory studies the immunobiology of CMV infection after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with emphasis on immune factors necessary for protection. The HIV laboratory focuses on developing new treatments for HIV/AIDS using optimal genetic vectors for anti-HIV gene transfer and novel drug therapy.

Edouard Cantin, Ph.D. – Neurovirology and Neuroimmunology
Cantin, associate chair of the department, is director of the Laboratory of Neurovirology and Neuroimmunology. He investigates the role of cytokines/chemokines such as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) in herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in vivo, with particular emphasis on latent infections. His laboratory is also interested in characterizing – on a genetic and molecular biological basis - determinants of natural resistance to HSV, with emphasis on the genetic explanation for sex-based differences in infection and the role of innate immunity in disease pathogenesis. Understanding mechanisms of latency and natural resistance in HSV may suggest rational approaches to controlling recurrent infections, and perhaps even devising a cure.

Saswati Chatterjee, Ph.D. – Gene Therapy
Chatterjee directs the Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Laboratory and is interested in the biology of AAV vectors for therapeutic gene transfer. Her specific areas of interest include stem cell-based genetic therapies of acquired and inherited diseases, including HIV infection, cancer, cardiovascular and genetic diseases; virus discovery research in human stem cells and the study of genetic elements necessary for optimal gene-based therapies. She evaluates gene therapy approaches in both in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical models, with targeted progression toward clinical human gene therapy trials.

Larry Couture, Ph.D. – Technology Development
Couture oversees the Center for Applied Technology Development, which includes the Center for Biomedicine and Genetics (CBG), directed by David Hsu, Ph.D., and the offices of IND Development & Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Technology Licensing. The CBG manufactures clinical-grade quality viral and non-viral vectors, recombinant proteins, bacterial products and cell-based products. The CBG staff is developing manufacturing processes for adenovirus, rAAV, lentivirus and plasmid DNA vectors for phase I and phase II clinical trials. Biologicals developed and produced by CBG translate into clinical trials at City of Hope and elsewhere, via our Production Partnership Program, which works with other academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies.

Don J. Diamond, Ph.D. – Vaccine Research
Dr. Diamond directs the Division of Translational Vaccine Research (TVR), which develops vaccines to combat hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and infectious pathogens such as CMV and HIV. The prospect of an effective CMV vaccine means significant benefits for immunocompromised patients such as those with AIDS or transplant recipients. A CMV peptide vaccine is undergoing Phase I clinical safety testing, while a 2nd generation CMV vaccine based on the attenuated poxvirus MVA is in joint development with the NCI. To develop cancer vaccines, the TVR, in collaboration with Joshua Ellenhorn, M.D., are utilizing both attenuated MVA and listeria vectors, engineered to express the p53 tumor suppressor gene as one example. Patients with gastrointestinal cancers will receive this vaccine in a Phase I clinical trial. Ongoing research on both CMV and SIV in Rhesus macaques is in collaboration with Peter Barry, Ph.D., of UC Davis.

Harry Openshaw, M.D. – Neuroimmunology
Openshaw has a long-standing interest in herpes simplex viral infection of the central nervous system. He is an expert in the neurologic complications of bone marrow transplantation and neurologic adverse reactions of chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, he is the principal investigator for a West Nile virus natural history and treatment study.

K.K. Wong, M.D. – Gene Therapy
Wong is a collaborator in the AAV Laboratory. His research interests include recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector development, which is applied to producing tumor-specific vaccines and inhibiting viruses such as HSV, HPV and HIV. Other research includes transducing hematopoietic stem cells, and gene therapy with the Apo-A1 protein to treat atherosclerosis.

 Jiing-Kuan Yee, Ph.D. – Human Gene Therapy
Yee is the director of the Lentivirus Laboratory. His specific interests include development of lentiviral vectors such as HIV and FIV to deliver transgenes into cells for potential treatment of human diseases such as hemophilia. He is also using these vectors to transduce anti-HIV genes into hematopoietic stem cells.