Welcome to Spring Semester 2014! My name is Amy MacNeill. I was recently hired as a faculty member in MIP. I graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Following a year in private practice, I returned to the University of Florida to complete a clinical pathology residency and a Ph.D. in virology and immunology. In 2005, I joined the faculty at the University of Illinois where I taught several pathology-related topics, contributed to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory service mission, and ran an independent research laboratory. My laboratory isolated and characterized canine and feline tumor cells and studied the utility of poxviruses as anticancer agents. We also pursued clinically-oriented research including identification of veterinary pathogens and investigation of the immunologic response of Red-Eared Sliders to ranavirus infection. I am excited about new opportunities and experiences at CSU. I hope to expand my research interests and build strong collaborations here. I will continue to be involved in clinical service and teaching. I’m happy to discuss patients’ diagnostic results from the Clinical Pathology Laboratory. My office and laboratory are in the Diagnostic Medicine Center. Please come by anytime!

Dr. Bill Black traveled to Senegal, West Africa over the holiday break to attend the defense of Dr. Massamba Sylla. Dr. Masamaba is a former visiting scientist who spent two years in Dr. Black and Dr. Brian Foy’s laboratory. His thesis was on Aedes aegypti s.l. bioecology, population genetic and susceptibility to Dengue 2 virus in Senegal. Dr. Sylla also investigated the role of feral monkeys in the sylvatic cycle of DENV-2 in the forest galleries of southeastern Senegal and in the Kedougou region where he also conducted CSU programs on Ivermectin for malaria control in collaboration with the African Program for Onchocerciasis Control. Congratulations Massamba! Good luck in the future!

Herbert Schweizer was the only U.S. author on a joint written evidence submission for a hearing on Antimicrobial Resistance which was held by the United Kingdom Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee on December 18, 2013. The submission expressed the consensus opinion of a group of 11 international scientists with common interests on the use of microbicidal products and possible relationship with antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Anne Lenaerts findings from a recent publication in Nature Medicine made it into the Times of India. Dr. Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero and Dr. Mike McNeil are co-authors of the paper and the first author, Dr. Richard Lee, is a past member of the MRL. Congratulations!

Bishop, Katrina M.
Brown, Kaylee M.
Burton, Timothy A.
Byrnes, Paisley W.
Demaria, Justin P.
Denham, Steven T.
Dermody, Roslyn J.
Farley, Taylor K.
Flock, Carly A.
Frank, Victoria L.
Freeman, April D.
Garcia, Shannon A.
Harman, Madison R.
Hinshaw, Chauncy R.
Holley, Miya L.
Jackson, Conner L.
Koslosky, Kaylin E.
Lozano, Caitlin C.
Reynolds, Brandon L.
Seaman, Jonathan A.
Sniff, Kira N.
Steppat, Annabella K.
Stewart, Guy R.
Stonedahl, Sarah F.
Webb, Alexandra E.

Humanized monoclonal antibody 2C9-cIgG has enhanced efficacy for yellow fever prophylaxis and therapy in an immunocompetent animal model

Justin Julander, Brett Thibodeaux, John Morrey, John Roehrig and Carol Blair

Antiviral Research 103: 32-38 (2014)

While most folks are ‘United in Orange’ these days in support of the Broncos, this paper is about folks from MIP, the CDC and Utah State University ‘United in Yellow’. Yellow fever, popularized by Charlie Calisher’s recent ‘Lifting the Impenetrable Veil’ book, is caused by a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes. With over 200,000 cases per year in tropical regions around the globe, there remains a large need for the development of effective ways to treat this disease. Here’s where Justin, Brett, Carol and a pair of Johns stepped up to the plate.

Passive immune therapy – or the idea of giving patients pre-formed antibodies against the pathogen they are battling – has been used in human medicine for well over a century. Thus this is a time-tested approach to treating infections and there are currently 10 FDA-approved immunoglobulin therapies. In this study, Carol Blair et al are focused on making a yellow fever immunotherapeutic number 11 on this list. They have given human-like immunoglobulin properties to a mouse monoclonal antibody called 2C9 that was shown in the 80’s to protect mice from yellow fever virus. In 2012 they demonstrated that their ‘humanized’ 2C9 antibody (or 2C9-cIgG) worked great at protecting a mouse from yellow fever symptoms. In the current study, they moved their antibody therapeutic into a new hamster model that better mimics human disease. In short, the data that they obtained are truly very striking. Giving 380 ug of their antibody therapeutic 1 day before yellow fever virus challenge significantly protected these hamsters based on weight loss, liver function, virus titer and mortality assessments. Notably, one could also administer the immunotherapeutic up to 3 days post infection with the virus and still see substantial clinical benefit. It’s hard to come away from reading this paper and not believe that they are truly onto something.

So why did we pick this paper for our coveted first MIPublication of the Month® for 2014? First, the continued development of this yellow fever immunotherapeutic is one of the best examples of translational research that is coming out of the department these days. While not ‘flashy’, the passive antibody approach used here makes sense and we believe has a good chance of saving lives down the road. Second, this study is an excellent example of the inter-institutional synergy that has been promoted by the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence in BioDefense (that unfortunately will be formally ending soon due to NIH cuts). Finally, this terrific study also highlights what a godawful job Carol Blair is doing in the ‘transitional retirement’ side of her job description. Science is just so cool and so much fun, it is simply hard to step away from it…..

‘Nuff with this Yellow stuff. Go Broncos!!!

MIP Publications December 2013

Bennett MS, Akkina R. Gene therapy strategies for HIV/AIDS: preclinical modeling in humanized mice. Viruses. 2013 Dec 12;5(12):3119-41

Grover A, Troudt J, Foster C, Basaraba R, Izzo A. High Mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) acts as an adjuvant for tuberculosis subunit vaccines. Immunology. 2013 Dec 18. doi: 10.1111/imm.12236. [Epub ahead of print]

Julander JG, Thibodeaux BA, Morrey JD, Roehrig JT, Blair CD. Humanized monoclonal antibody 2C9-cIgG has enhanced efficacy for yellow fever prophylaxis and therapy in an immunocompetent animal model. Antiviral Res. 2014 Jan 3. pii: S0166-3542(13)00380-X. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.12.011. [Epub ahead of print]

Prasad AN, Brackney DE, Ebel GD. The role of innate immunity in conditioning mosquito susceptibility to West Nile virus. Viruses. 2013 Dec 13;5(12):3142-70. doi: 10.3390/v5123142.

Malone AN, Fletcher DM, Vogt MB, Meyer SK, Hess AM, Eckstein TM. Early Weight Development of Goats Experimentally Infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e84049. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084049.

Steel JJ, Franz AW, Sanchez-Vargas I, Olson KE, Geiss BJ. Subgenomic reporter RNA system for detection of alphavirus infection in mosquitoes. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 19;8(12):e84930. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084930.

Capodagli GC, Sedhom WG, Jackson M, Ahrendt KA, Pegan SD. A Noncompetitive Inhibitor for Mycobacterium tuberculosis's Class IIa Fructose 1,6-Bisphosphate Aldolase. Biochemistry. 2014 Jan 14;53(1):202-13. doi: 10.1021/bi401022b.

Walton KD, McNulty E, Nalls AV, Mathiason CK. Transabdominal ultrasound for pregnancy diagnosis in reeves' muntjac deer. J Vis Exp. 2014 Jan 7;(83). doi: 10.3791/50855.

Orme I. TB's terrible toll. Nat Med. 2014 Jan 7;20(1):13. doi: 10.1038/nm.3366.

Cummings JE, Beaupre AJ, Knudson SE, Liu N, Yu W, Neckles C, Wang H, Khanna A, Bommineni GR, Trunck LA, Schweizer HP, Tonge PJ, Slayden RA. Substituted diphenyl ethers as a novel chemotherapeutic platform against Burkholderia pseudomallei. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Dec 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Mays CE, Kim C, Haldiman T, van der Merwe J, Lau A, Yang J, Grams J, Di Bari MA, Nonno R, Telling GC, Kong Q, Langeveld J, McKenzie D, Westaway D, Safar JG. Prion disease tempo determined by host-dependent substrate reduction. J Clin Invest. 2014 Jan 16. pii: 72241. doi: 10.1172/JCI72241. [Epub ahead of print]

Moon SL, Wilusz J. Cytoplasmic Viruses: Rage against the (Cellular RNA Decay) Machine. PLoS Pathog. 2013 Dec;9(12):e1003762. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003762.

Wilusz J. Putting an 'End' to HIV mRNAs: capping and polyadenylation as potential therapeutic targets. AIDS Res Ther. 2013 Dec 13;10(1):31. doi: 10.1186/1742-6405-10-31.

Deadline: March 24 at 5PM

Review the FY14 CRC Call for Proposals and find more information on the CVMBS Employee Resource webpage.

CMB/MCIN/BMB/MIP Poster Symposium

It is time again for food, fun, drink and a little competition. Please think ahead and consider presenting a poster for the Annual Cell & Molecular Biology/Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Neurosciences/Biochemistry & Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology poster symposium. Presenters are welcome to use posters presented at other symposiums.

See the abstract submission flyer for more information. Submission Deadline is February 14!

The Foothills Infectious Disease Seminar Series is in full swing. The next seminar will be February 20th with Mr. Jeffrey Beall presenting "Predatory Publishers are Infecting Scholarly Communication".

Foothills Infectious Disease Seminar Schedule

The weekly Graduate Student Seminar has also started and the next presenters are Nathan Grubaugh and Jen Higgins on February 4.

Graduate Student Seminar Schedule

Stay tuned for the Departmental Seminar Series!

8th Annual Exhibition
February 10 - March 7, 2014
OPENING Reception Feb 13 5-7 PM

This exhibition showcases the creative energies of students, faculty, and staff at Colorado State University and exemplifies the common ties between scientific inquiry and artistic practice.

Countdown to ASV2014
5 MONTHS TO GO...

Next June, we’ll be hosting the large (1,200+ participant) 33rd Annual meeting of the American Society for Virology right here on the CSU campus! Please mark your calendars for this special, can’t-be-missed event. Also – we’ll be looking for numerous (50+) volunteers to help with numerous AV/customer service aspects of this event – so please consider helping us out when asked.

This is a golden opportunity to showcase MIP’s infectious disease expertise and high-quality environment to a large international group of experts in the field. We’ll definitely need the collective help of the MIP community to make this a truly special meeting. For further information on the event, please contact Jeff Wilusz (local lead organizer) at jeffrey.wilusz@colostate.edu.

You can also visit the American Society for Virology website for information about the meeting.

Abstract deadline is February 3, 2014.

The American Society for Microbiology is currently accepting applications for their ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship

The deadline is February 1st!

Barb Andre completed her Master of Science in Statistics and is pleased to offer statistical services to MIP staff. Contact her for assistance with design of studies, power analyses and sample size calculations for proposal development; analysis of data and interpretation of results.

Corrine Lindstadt, accounting technician extraordinaire, has taken over the accounts Barb used to manage. Please give Corrine a call if you have questions regarding the status of your grant.

Best Wishes!

Best wishes to Susan Reuth who recently left the department. You will be missed!

Hello, my name is Dan Champion and I am the new face at the front desk in the Microbiology building. Previous to my arrival, I received my bachelor’s degree in mathematics education and taught for three years at the middle and high school levels. I came to Colorado in July from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which makes me a “Yooper”. The long cold winters and lack of sunlight in the Midwest forced me to abandon my Yooper roots and head for the hills (or foothills of Fort Collins). Since making the move to Fort Collins I have taken up disc golfing and hiking, which allow me to enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine this state has to offer. I could not feel more excited and fortunate to be joining such a great team at CSU so early into this new stage of my life.

Paul Avery models his Snazzy 'Xmas Wreath' $7 pants at a recent holiday party

"I've had a lot of people ask what 'Omaha' means. Omaha is a run play but it could be a pass play, or a play-action pass depending on a couple things — the wind, which way we're going, quarter, and the jerseys that we're wearing. It varies, really play to play. "
  ~ Peyton Manning, Broncos Quarterback

Evan Wilusz at the the AFC Championship Game

Questions for MIPuzzle #90
MIPuzzle #90 Answers

Folks from the Micro MS-B Program get into the Holiday spirit in Old Town

• Career Development (K) Awards Program Announcement Re-issued

  Trainees rejoice (and start writing…): Note that NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00) (PA-14-042), Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08)
  (PA-14-046), Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25) (PA-14-048), and Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23) (PA-14-049) were recently reissued by NIH.

• Possible Good News Down the Road for Investigator-Initiated (R01) Grants?

  Over the last 10 years, the popularity of targeted funding opportunity announcements (FOA) have grown steadily at most NIH Institutes while the success rates of investigator-initiated research projects (RPG) (e.g. R01’s) has diminished. It will come as no surprise to researchers that funding for these RPGs is now at an all-time low. There may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon beyond today’s paltry paylines. At least one NIH Institute (NIGMS) stated recently that it wishes ‘to renew and reinvigorate our commitment to investigator-initiated research’.

Bill Black, "The Role of RNAi in Aedes aegypti on Dengue Evolution", NIH-NIAID

Anne Lenaerts, "Novel Protein Synthesis Inhibitors for the Treatment of MDR Tuberculosis", St. Jude Medical, Inc.

Kristy L Pabilonia, "Chicken Experimental Challenge Study with LPAI Virus", Life Technologies Corp.

A Hawaiian sunset, complements of Collette DeWitt

Jeff Wilusz attends a Duke basketball game over the holiday break and gets his picture on ESPN (almost)

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