Stefan Oliver
Stanford University, CA·Biophysics
Herpesviruses enter cells using proteins studded in their outer membrane, and those same proteins are what the immune system learns to recognize. Varicella-zoster virus, the agent of chickenpox and shingles, is a case in point: it can cause severe disease in people with weakened immune systems, lead to long-lasting nerve pain known as post-herpetic neuralgia, and has been linked to stroke.
- Fields
Biophysics
Microbiology & Immunology
Biochemistry
- Topics
varicella-zoster virus
herpesvirus
cryo-electron microscopy
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jan 2028
What they work on
- Determine the near-atomic structure of the varicella-zoster virus gB/gH-gL complex, the machinery that fuses viral and cell membranes, using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy on complexes kept in their native lipid environment.
- Relate the shape of the gB/gH-gL complex to its fusion function, to explain mechanistically how herpesviruses merge with the cells they infect.
- Solve the structure of the gE/gI glycoprotein pair, which supports viral replication and spread, both on its own and in complex with antibodies that recognize it.
- Use CyclApol-based membrane extraction to purify intact glycoprotein complexes from virus-infected cells, avoiding detergents that strip away surrounding lipids.
More about the research
Yet the shapes of its entry proteins, and how they move to pull two membranes together, are largely unknown. This work uses structural imaging to see those machines as they actually sit in a membrane.
Why it matters
Chickenpox and shingles remain common, and their complications include chronic nerve pain and increased stroke risk. Detailed structures of the viral proteins that drive cell entry and antibody recognition could give vaccine designers and antiviral developers concrete targets to aim at, and because herpesviruses share this fusion machinery, the findings may inform work on related viruses.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
David Koelle
University of Washington, WA·Microbiology & Immunology
Expand the collection of varicella zoster virus-specific human monoclonal antibodies cloned from shingles skin biopsies and map their fine specificity against viral envelope, tegument, enzyme, and nuclear proteins.
Kai Xu
Ohio State University, OH·Biophysics
Determine structures of soluble, stabilized G and F glycoprotein ectodomains from emerging henipaviruses, including the bat-borne Cedar virus and Angavokely virus, to capture the full tetrameric G and the fragile prefusion F.
James Lee
New York University, NY·Microbiology & Immunology·Early-career
Map the complete route of peptide antigen loading onto MHC-I molecules using a chemical biology strategy applied both in living cells and in reconstituted systems rebuilt from purified components.
The school
Stanford University: 87 labs on PI Pages, $1.6B a year on research, 739 research doctorates a year.
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