Dr. Randall Urban, VP and Chief Research Officer, has determined that UTMB research should be prioritized into six health communities. This researcher has received the following badge(s):

Our research goal is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of viral virulence factors, and to develop highly efficacious and safe vaccines and antivirals for pathogenic RNA viruses. Our current research interest includes basic studies and countermeasure developments against several pathogenic bunyaviruses including Rift Valley fever virus, Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome virus, Heartland virus, and Oropouche virus: e.g., vaccine developments, antiviral screening, and characterization of host-virus interactions. Those bunyaviruses are maintained by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, or biting midges, while their virological phenotype and virulence can be altered by genetic reassortments of genomic S, M, and L RNA segments with those of other bunyaviruses. The S segment encodes nonstructural S (NSs) proteins, which support viral replication by inhibiting host antiviral immune responses. Some bunyaviral M segments also encode nonstructural M (NSm) proteins, while the biological functions are largely unknown. Our team is highly skilled in reverse genetics approach for bunyaviruses, by which we could generate recombinant bunyavirus strains with NSs and/or NSm gene knockouts. Using high containment facilities at UTMB, we evaluate viral attenuation and virulence in appropriate animal models for vaccine and pathology studies.