CURRENT MEMBERS

Karen Preiter, PhD

Lab Supervisor/Manager since June 2023

Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from Washington University in St. Louis.

preiterke@wustl.edu

Emna Achouri

Senior Biostatistician, joined September 2020

Master’s degree in Genomics, majoring in Computational Biology, Université d’Evry (France)

emna@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Felt SA, Sun Y, Jozwik A, Para A, Habibi MS, Nickle D, Anderson L, Achouri E, Feemster K, Cardenas AM, Turi KN, Chang M, Hartert TV, Sengupta S, Chiu C, and López CB (2021). Detection of Respiratory syncytial virus defective genomes in nasal secretions is associated with distinct clinical outcomes. Nat. Microbiol., https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00882-3.2. Felt SA, Achouri E, Faber SR and López CB (2022). Accumulation of copy-back viral genomes during respiratory syncytial virus infection is preceded by diversification of the copy-back genome population followed by selection. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.25.493350v13. Achouri E, Felt SA, Hackbart MS, Rivera-Espinal NS and López CB. (2023) VODKA2: A fast and accurate method to detect non-standard viral genomes from large RNA-seq datasets https://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.05.17.541157v1. RNA. In Press.

Matthew Hackbart, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher since June 2020

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Loyola University in Chicago

hackbart@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Achouri E, Felt SA, Hackbart MS, Rivera-Espinal NS and López CB. (2023) VODKA2: A fast and accurate method to detect non-standard viral genomes from large RNA-seq datasets https://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.05.17.541157v1. RNA. In Press.2. Gonzalez-Aparicio LJ, Yang Y, Hackbart MS, and López CB (2023).Copy-back viral genomes induce a cellular stress response that interferes with viral protein expression without affecting antiviral immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.17.541157v2. PLoS Biology, In Press3. Hackbart MS and López CB. (2023) S RNA Intergenic Deletions Drive Viral Interference during Arenavirus Infections. bioRxiv 2023.10.31.564889; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.31.564889. Submitted

Munyaradzi Tambo, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher since August 2020

Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellow (2022)

Ph.D. in Population Genetics from University of Namibia

tambo@wustl.edu

Italo Araujo Castro, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher since September 2020

Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Sao Pablo, Brazil.

italo@wustl.edu

Publications:

1.Hiller BE, Yin Y, Perng Y, Castro I, Fox LE, Locke MC, Monte KJ, López CB, Ornitz D, Lenschow DJ (2022) Fibroblast growth factor-9 expression in airway epithelial cells amplifies the type I interferon response and alters influenza A virus pathogenesis. PLoS Pathogens, 18(6): e1010228. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. ppat.1010228. 2. Castro I, Yang Y, Gnazzo V, Kim DH, Van Dyken SJ, López CB (2023) Murine Parainfluenza Virus Persists in Lung Innate Immune Cells Sustaining Chronic Lung Pathology. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.07.566103v1 Submitted

Lavinia Gonzalez

Postdoctoral Researcher since September 2023

Previously Graduate Student, joined the lab in June 2018

DBBS, Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program

g.lavinia@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Gonzalez Aparicio LJ, López CB and Felt SA (2022) (Review) A Virus is a Community: Diversity within Negative Sense RNA Virus Populations. MMBR, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00086-21 .2. Gonzalez-Aparicio LJ, Yang Y, Hackbart MS, and López CB (2023).Copy-back viral genomes induce a cellular stress response that interferes with viral protein expression without affecting antiviral immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.17.541157v2. PLoS Biology, In Press

Sydney Faber

Senior ResearchTechnician, joined the lab in June 2020

Faber@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Felt S, Achouri E, Faber SR and López CB (2022). Accumulation of copy-back viral genomes during respiratory syncytial virus infection is preceded by diversification of the copy-back genome population followed by selection. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.25.493350v1

Nicole Rivera-Espinal

Graduate Student, joined the lab in May 2021

NSF-GRFP Fellow (2021)

DBBS, Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program

n.rivera-espinal@wustl.edu

Publications:

Patrick Wang

Undergrad, joined the lab in September 2021

Washington University Scholars Program in Medicine

p.y.wang@wustl.edu

Yanling Yang, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher since November 2021

PhD in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

yanlingy@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Gonzalez-Aparicio LJ, Yang Y, Hackbart MS, and López CB (2023).Copy-back viral genomes induce a cellular stress response that interferes with viral protein expression without affecting antiviral immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.17.541157v2. PLoS Biology, In Press2. Castro I, Yang Y, Gnazzo V, Kim DH, Van Dyken SJ, López CB (2023) Murine Parainfluenza Virus Persists in Lung Innate Immune Cells Sustaining Chronic Lung Pathology. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.07.566103v1 Submitted

Victoria Gnazzo, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher since September 2021

PhD in Veterinary Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

gnazzo@wustl.edu

Publications:

1. Fisher DG, Gazzo V, Holthausen D and López CB. (2022) Non-standard viral genome-derived RNA activates TLR3 and type I IFN signaling to induce cDC1-dependent CD8+ T-cell responses during vaccination in mice. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.09.495494v1.full. Vaccine 40: 7270-7279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.052 2. Castro I, Yang Y, Gnazzo V, Kim DH, Van Dyken SJ, López CB (2023) Murine Parainfluenza Virus Persists in Lung Innate Immune Cells Sustaining Chronic Lung Pathology. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.07.566103v1 Submitted