Mark Connors | |
---|---|
Alma mater | Temple University (BA, MD) |
Known for | Research on Long-term nonprogressors |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Immunology |
Mark Connors is a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) specializing in HIV/AIDS. He serves as the Chief of the HIV-Specific Immunity Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where he oversees efforts to understand and enhance the immune response to HIV and other viruses. His research focuses on identifying effective immune responses to viruses, which are crucial for developing vaccines and immunotherapies.[1]
Career and Research
editDr. Connors received his medical degree from Temple University, followed by pediatric training at Tufts Medical Center and infectious diseases training at NIAID and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He joined the NIH in 1989, where he initially focused on the immune response to respiratory viruses before shifting to HIV research in 1994. His work has been influential in studying the immunologic control of HIV, particularly in long-term nonprogressors or "elite controllers," who can control HIV without antiretroviral therapy.[2][3] These studies have provided insights into effective immune responses to HIV and potential strategies for HIV treatment and prevention.
In addition to his work on the cellular immune response to HIV, Dr. Connors has contributed to understanding the antibody response. He identified patients with broad antibody responses to HIV and isolated monoclonal antibodies from these patients, such as 10E8, 35O22, and N6.[4][5][6] These antibodies have broad and potent neutralizing capabilities against a wide range of HIV strains, offering avenues for HIV treatments and vaccine development.
References
edit- ^ "Mark Connors, M.D." NIAID. National Institutes of Health. 12 July 2022.
- ^ Migueles, SA (04/01/2004). "Advances in understanding immunologic control of HIV infection". Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 1(1) (12–7). doi:10.1007/s11904-004-0002-2. PMID 16091218.
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(help) - ^ Migueles, Stephen A.; Osborne, Christine M.; Royce, Cassandra; Compton, Alex A.; Joshi, Rohan P.; Weeks, Kristin A.; Rood, Julia E.; Berkley, Amy M.; Sacha, Jonah B.; Cogliano-Shutta, Nancy A.; Lloyd, Margaret; Roby, Gregg; Kwan, Richard; McLaughlin, Mary; Stallings, Sara (2008-12-19). "Lytic granule loading of CD8+ T cells is required for HIV-infected cell elimination associated with immune control". Immunity. 29 (6): 1009–1021. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2008.10.010. ISSN 1097-4180. PMC 2622434. PMID 19062316.
- ^ Huang, Jinghe; Ofek, Gilad; Laub, Leo; Louder, Mark K.; Doria-Rose, Nicole A.; Longo, Nancy S.; Imamichi, Hiromi; Bailer, Robert T.; Chakrabarti, Bimal; Sharma, Shailendra K.; Alam, S. Munir; Wang, Tao; Yang, Yongping; Zhang, Baoshan; Migueles, Stephen A. (2012-11-15). "Broad and potent neutralization of HIV-1 by a gp41-specific human antibody". Nature. 491 (7424): 406–412. doi:10.1038/nature11544. ISSN 0028-0836. PMC 4854285. PMID 23151583.
- ^ "NIH Scientists Identify Potent Antibody that Neutralizes Nearly All HIV Strains | NIH". clinicalinfo.hiv.gov. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Huang, Jinghe; Kang, Byong H.; Pancera, Marie; Lee, Jeong Hyun; Tong, Tommy; Feng, Yu; Georgiev, Ivelin S.; Chuang, Gwo-Yu; Druz, Aliaksandr; Doria-Rose, Nicole A.; Laub, Leo; Sliepen, Kwinten; van Gils, Marit J.; de la Peña, Alba Torrents; Derking, Ronald (2014-11-06). "Broad and potent HIV-1 neutralization by a human antibody that binds the gp41-120 interface". Nature. 515 (7525): 138–142. doi:10.1038/nature13601. ISSN 0028-0836. PMC 4224615. PMID 25186731.