Laboratory of Viral Diseases

Ivanovic Research Group

The Single Virion Biology and Biophysics Unit (SVBBU) investigates the molecular mechanisms of viral cell entry and progeny particle assembly. We combine molecular virology, in vitro reconstitution, biophysics, and quantitative cell biology to answer difficult-to-tackle mechanistic questions in virology and build upon those discoveries to ultimately enable prediction and prevention of undesirable viral adaptation. Our work spans diverse viral pathogens and/or their model systems, such as influenza virus, Ebola virus, coronavirus, reovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and measles virus.

Single Virion Biology and Biophysics Unit, 2023. Left to right: Nick Berg, Predoctoral IRTA Fellow (October 2023), Ava Altenbern, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, Tijana Ivanovic, Senior Investigator, Ed Partlow, Postdoctoral Fellow, Anna Jaeggi-Wong, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, Steven Planitzer, Predoctoral IRTA Fellow.

Single Virion Biology and Biophysics Unit, 2023. Left to right: Nick Berg, Predoctoral IRTA Fellow (October 2023), Ava Altenbern, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, Tijana Ivanovic, Senior Investigator, Ed Partlow, Postdoctoral Fellow, Anna Jaeggi-Wong, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, Steven Planitzer, Predoctoral IRTA Fellow.

Credit: NIAID

Tijana Ivanovic, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)

Tenure-Track Investigator, NIH Distinguished Scholar

Chief, Single Virion Biology and Biophysics Unit

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2015, Harvard University

Ph.D., Virology, 2008, Harvard University

B.S., Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, 1999, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Ivanovic was born in Serbia (former Yugoslavia), where she attended the Mathematics Gymnasium and where talented teachers inspired in her a love for biology as well as interest in the mathematical sciences and computing.

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Ava Lorraine Altenbern, B.A. (She/Her/Hers)

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

B.A., Biochemistry and Art History, 2023, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

Within the Batey lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Ava researched the modulation of genetic expression by the riboswitch, a regulatory structure that is found on the 5’ untranslated regions of bacterial mRNA. Utilizing a mutagenic cloning process, her research revealed preferences for base pairing in the expression platform of the B. subtilis pbuE Adenine-Responsive Riboswitch, and she...

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Anna Jaeggi-Wong, B.S. (She/Her/Hers)

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

B.S., Biochemistry and Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Languages Spoken: German

Anna’s undergraduate research in the Ivanovic lab at Brandeis University focused on investigating determinants of influenza A virion (IAV) morphology using flow virometry. She received highest honors in biochemistry, the William P. Jencks Award in Biochemistry, and the Division of Science Prize for Outstanding Research Accomplishment by a Senior for her senior thesis. She now aims to further probe...

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Ed A. Partlow III, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2022, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Ed researches the assembly pathways of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, using influenza A and mammalian orthoreovirus as model systems. Ed employs TIRF microscopy, flow cytometry, and biochemistry to understand the mechanisms of virion assembly.

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Steven D. Planitzer, B.S. (He/Him/His)

Predoctoral IRTA Fellow (Doctoral Candidate: Brandeis University)

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

B.S., Physics, 2019, Kent State University, Kent, OH

Languages Spoken: Spanish

I create supported planar bilayers to model the endosomal membrane fusion step of the influenza A virus cell entry cycle. By leveraging the high sensitivity of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFm), I observe membrane fusion at single-virion resolution. By implementing a novel DNA oligo-mediated receptor attachment scheme, I aim to evaluate the effect of surface receptor...

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