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Ted M. Ross, PhD
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Associate Professor
Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
9047 BST3
3501 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
FRIP Database
PubMed Publications
Phone: (412) 648-8666
Fax: (412) 624-4440
E-mail: tmr15@cvr.pitt.edu
Webpage: http://www.cvr.pitt.edu/personnel/view.asp?uid=tmr15
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Biography
Dr. Ross is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. He received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University in 1996. He trained in HIV/AIDS and Vaccine Development and Immunology at Duke and Emory Universities. He is a member of the Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Immunology graduate programs. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms and development of effective vaccine design for infectious agents.
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Research
Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms and development of effective vaccines for influenza, HIV-1 and emerging disease agents, such as Rift Valley Fever virus, West Nile virus and Dengue virus. His laboratory uses techniques, such as DNA vaccination (genetic vaccination), to induce protective immunity against a variety of pathogens. These genetic vaccines consist of eukaryotic expression plasmids that are inoculated into target cells and translated into proteins. These vaccinations effectively induces both humoral and cellular immune responses in both the mucosal and peripheral immune compartments to immunogens derived from diverse infectious agents.
In order to improve the efficacy of vaccines for infectious disease, our laboratory has developed several strategies to elicit high titer protective immune responses: 1) Virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines and 2) Viral envelope glycoprotein conjugated to a component of the innate immune system, C3d. Each regimen effectively stimulates the broadly reactive immune responses to combat the diversity of viral isolates. These vaccines are tested in rodents and non-human primates, as well as human clinical trials.
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Selected Publications
- Ross TM, Xu Y, Bright RA, Robinson HL. C3d enhancement of antibodies to hemagglutinin accelerates protection against influenza virus challenge. Nat Immunol. 2000. 1:127-131.
- Brower-Sinning R, Carter DM, Crevar CJ, Ghedin E, Ross TM, Benos PV. The role of RNA folding free energy in the evolution of the polymerase genes of the influenza A virus. Genome Biol. 2008. 10:R18.
- Bright RA, Carter DM, Crevar CJ, Toapanta FR, Steckbeck JD, Cole KS, Kumar N, Pushko P, Smith G, Ross TM. Cross-clade protective immune responses to influenza viruses with H5N1 HA and NA elicited by an influenza virus-like particle. PLoS One. 2008. 3(1) e1501.
- Bright RA, Carter DM, Daniluk S, Toapanta FR, Ahmad A, Gavrilov V, Massare M, Pushko P, Mytle N, Rowe T, Smith G, Ross TM. Influenza virus-like particles elicit broader immune responses than whole virion inactivated influenza virus or recombinant hemagglutinin. Vaccine 2007
- Toapanta FT, Ross TM. Complement-mediated activation of the adaptive immune response: Linking innate and adaptive immunity by C3d. Immunol Res 36:197-210. 2006.
- Young KR and Ross TM. HIV-1 Gag particles elicit broader immunity than soluble, non-particulate or intracellularly-confined Gag proteins. AIDS Res. Human Retro. 2006. 22:99-108.
- McBurney SP, Young KR, Ross TM. HIV-1 envelope on the surface of a lentiviral particle elicits broader immune responses than soluble envelopes. Virology 358:334-346. 2006.
- Toapanta, FR*, Haas, KM*, Oliver JA, Poe JC, Steeber DA, Karp DR, Bower JF, Ross TM, Tedder TF. Cutting Edge:C3d Functions as a Molecular Adjuvant in the Absence of CD21/35 Expression. J. Immunol. 2004. 172:5833-5837.
- Bower JF, Yang X, Sodroski J, Ross TM. Elicitation of Neutralizing Antibodies with DNA Vaccines Expressing Soluble Stabilized Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trimers Conjugated to C3d. J Virol. 2004. 78: 4710–4719.
- Green TD, Montefiori DC, Ross TM. Enhancement of antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope by using the molecular adjuvant C3d. J Virol. 2003. 77:2046-2055.
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