Laboratory of Infectious Diseases

Kanta Subbarao, M.B.B.S., M.P.H.

Chief, Emerging Respiratory Viruses Section

Dr. Subbarao received her M.B.B.S. in 1982 from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, University of Madras, India, and completed a residency in pediatrics at Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children at St. Louis University. She completed a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases and earned her M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. After postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), she served on the faculty at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and subsequently served as chief of the Molecular Genetics Section of the Influenza Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Subbarao joined LID as a senior investigator in 2002.

Description of Research Program

Our research is focused on understanding the pathogenesis of influenza and the development of vaccines against pandemic strains of influenza.

Influenza investigations aim to

• Study viral pathogenesis and immune responses in animal models
• Identify and prioritize potential pandemic strains of influenza to target for vaccine development
• Generate attenuated vaccine viruses by reassortment or after modifying virulence determinants, if necessary by plasmid-based reverse genetics
• Address questions of viral antigenicity including evaluation of genetic and antigenic relatedness and cross-protection between avian influenza viruses
• Evaluate candidate vaccine viruses in preclinical studies in animal models
• Conduct clinical evaluation of suitable candidate vaccines to establish safety, immunogenicity, and infectivity of live, attenuated vaccines

Selected Publications

(View list in PubMed.)

Suguitan AL Jr, Marino MP, Desai PD, Chen LM, Matsuoka Y, Donis RO, Jin H, Swayne DE, Kemble G, Subbarao K. The influence of the multi-basic cleavage site of the H5 hemagglutinin on the attenuation, immunogenicity and efficacy of a live attenuated influenza A H5N1 cold-adapted vaccine virus. Virology. 2009 Dec 20;395(2):280-8.

Karron RA, Callahan K, Luke C, Thumar B, McAuliffe J, Schappell E, Joseph T, Coelingh K, Jin H, Kemble G, Murphy BR, Subbarao K. A live attenuated H9N2 influenza vaccine is well tolerated and immunogenic in healthy adults. J Infect Dis. 2009 Mar 1;199(5):711-6.

Gillim-Ross L, Santos C, Chen Z, Aspelund A, Yang CF, Ye D, Jin H, Kemble G, Subbarao K. Avian influenza H6 viruses productively infect and cause illness in mice and ferrets. J Virol. 2008 Nov;82(21):10854-63.

Joseph T, McAuliffe J, Lu B, Jin H, Kemble G, Subbarao K. Evaluation of replication and pathogenicity of avian influenza A H7 subtype viruses in a mouse model. J Virol. 2007 Oct:81(19):10558-66.

Simmons CP, Bernasconi NL, Suguitan AL, Mills K, Ward JM, Chau NV, Hien TT, Sallusto F, Ha do Q, Farrar J, de Jong MD, Lanzavecchia A, Subbarao K. Prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of human monoclonal antibodies against H5N1 influenza. PLoS Med. 2007 May;4(5): e178.

Suguitan AL Jr, McAuliffe J, Mills KL, Jin H, Duke G, Lu B, Luke CJ, Murphy B, Swayne DE, Kemble G, Subbarao K. Live, attenuated influenza A H5N1 candidate vaccines provide broad cross-protection in mice and ferrets. PLoS Med. 2006 Sep;3(9):1541-55.

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