The Viral Pathogenesis Section (VPS) is primarily focused on the study of HIV/AIDS pathogenesis and the development of innovative strategies for therapy and vaccine. A primary area of interest is the development of novel HIV-1 vaccine platforms based on mRNA and other delivery vectors. A unique virus-like particle (VLP)-forming env-gag mRNA vaccine developed by the VPS demonstrated protective efficacy in rhesus macaques. Another research topic, instrumental for vaccine design, is the elucidation of the structure-function relationships within the HIV-1 envelope to identify conserved functional regions, elucidate the structural basis of immune evasion, and rationally design more effective vaccine immunogens. This knowledge has also been instrumental to the VPS efforts to rationally engineer HIV-neutralizing antibodies with improved potency and breadth. Other research areas include the study of endogenous immune modulators that regulate HIV-1 transmission, replication, and pathogenesis, including CCR5-binding antiviral chemokines, integrin α4β7, and interleukin-7, which is emerging as a potent antimicrobial cytokine. The research group uses a comprehensive research approach that combines classic immunology and virology with state-of-the-art post-genomic technologies and pre-clinical in vivo studies in animal models.
(Left to right): Madelyn Seemiller, B.Sc. (Postbaccalaureate Fellow), Riley Hermes, B.Sc. (Postbaccalaureate Fellow), Bianca Soto, B.Sc. (Postbaccalaureate Fellow), Yin Lin, Ph.D. (Biologist), Hana Schmeisser, Ph.D. (Staff Scientist), Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D. (Chief), Huiyi Miao, M.Sc. (Biologist), Flavio Matassoli, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Research Fellow), Mamta Singh, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow).
Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Viral Pathogenesis Section
Education:
M.D., University of Turin, Italy
Ph.D., Ministry of Scientific and Technologic Research, Rome, Italy
Dr. Lusso received his M.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Turin and his Ph.D. from the Ministry of Scientific and Technologic Research, Rome, Italy. He is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and in infectious diseases. He came to NIH for the first time in 1986 to work in the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology under Dr. Robert C. Gallo at the National Cancer Institute. He...
Hana Schmeisser, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
Education:
Ph.D., Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
M.Sc., University of P.J. Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia
Languages Spoken: Slovak
Dr. Schmeisser received her M.Sc. in Biology, summa cum laude, from the University of P. J. Šafárik in Košice, Slovakia, and her Ph.D. in Virology from Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. In the year 2000, she joined Dr. Kathryn C. Zoon’s lab at CBER/FDA as a postdoctoral fellow. Later, she continued working with Dr. Zoon as her staff scientist at NIAID/NIH. Under Dr. Zoon’s mentorship, Dr...
Flavio Matassoli, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
M.Sc., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
B.S., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Languages Spoken: Portuguese
Dr. Matassoli received his Ph.D. in Microbiology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During his Ph.D. training he was also visiting fellow at University of California, Davis, from 2014 to 2015. He joined National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2019 to conduct his postdoctoral research on B cell immunology at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) in the National...
Mamta Singh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Education:
Ph.D. in Life sciences, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
M.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Delhi, India.
B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Delhi, India
Languages Spoken: Hindi
Dr. Singh earned both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Delhi, India. She completed her PhD at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, where she investigated the improved immunogenicity of nanoparticle-based pneumococcal antigens. Her work focuses on developing innovative priming and boosting strategies to gain better insights into...
Huiyi Miao, M.Sc.
Biologist
Education:
M.S., State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
Languages Spoken: Mandarin Chinese
Huiyi Miao earned her master’s in Clinic Laboratory Sciences at State University of New York at Buffalo. She joined NIAID in 2005. Prior joined NIAID she worked in Human Genome Science Inc, Pharmacia Upjohn and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Yin Lin, Ph.D.
Biologist
Education:
Ph.D., SUNY Downstate Health Science University, Brooklyn, NY
Languages Spoken: Mandarin Chinese
Yin Lin received PhD at SUNY Downstate Health Science University in 1996. Then he joined Dr. Patricia Donahoe’s (National Science Academy Member) lab at Mass. General Hospital as research fellow studying TGF beta signal transduction. Yin Lin joined Dr. Lusso’s Lab in 2011. He spent most time on research fields in proteins interaction and molecular biology aspects, which include but not limit...
Madelyn Seemiller, B.Sc.
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Education:
B.S., Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Madelyn Seemiller received her B.Sc. in Biology, summa cum laude, at Emory University in 2024. She joined the Laboratory of Immunoregulation as a postbaccalaureate fellow. She is working with Dr. Paolo Lusso and Dr. Hana Schmeisser on the lab’s IL-7 project from 2024 to 2026, after which she plans to attend graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in molecular medicine and translational research.
Riley Hermes, B.Sc.
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Education:
B.S., University of Missouri
Languages Spoken: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese
Riley Hermes received his B.Sc., Summa Cum Laude, in Biology at the University of Missouri in 2024. He joined the Viral Pathogenesis section in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation in 2025. He is working with Dr. Paolo Lusso and Dr. Flávio Matassoli on the lab’s HIV Vaccine project and plans to attend medical school following the end of his fellowship in 2027.
Bianca Soto, B.Sc.
Postbaccalaureate Fellow
Education:
B.S., University of New Mexico
Languages Spoken: Spanish
Bianca Soto received her bachelor’s in biology with University Honors from the University of New Mexico in spring 2023. She joined the Laboratory of Immunoregulation as a postbaccalaureate fellow in spring of 2025. She is a fellow on the vaccine team working with Dr. Paolo Lusso and Dr. Flávio Matassoli and plans to attend graduate school in biomedical research after completing her fellowship.
