Sita Awasthi, PhD
Sita Awasthi, PhD, works with Dr. Friedman to develop a vaccine against human herpes simplex virus types I and II. They have demonstrated that adding glycoprotein C to a glycoprotein D subunit based vaccine enhances the efficacy of gD subunit vaccine by preventing glycoprotein C mediated evasion of host immunity. They are evaluating whether blocking evasion of host immunity against herpes virus by anti-gC antibodies will reduce HSV-2 recurrences in a guinea pig vaginal infection model.
They are also studying HSV-2 strains from sub-Saharan Africa. Some African countries have prevalence rates as high as 60% for HSV-2. In order to control HSV-2 infections worldwide a vaccine should be effective against strains of HSV-2 from all continents. They are evaluating sub-unit and live virus vaccine candidates against African and North American HSV-2 strains.
HSV-1 evades host immunity by inactivating antibody as one of its many immune evasion strategies. Glycoproteins gE and gI forms a heterodimer complex that binds the Fc domain of IgG, thereby blocking activities mediated by the Fc domain, such as complement activation and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Since this activity is species specific and cannot be studied in mice, they are developing a humanized mouse model where antibodies generated are of human origin. A humanized mouse model will enable them to investigate therapeutic implications of gE mediated antibody inactivation.
Selected publications:
Awasthi S. Next Generation of human vaccines: What does the future hold? Human Vaccines 4: 344-347, 2008.
Awasthi S. Lubinski, J. M., Eisenberg, R J., Cohen G.H. and Friedman H. M. An HSV-1 gD mutant as an entry - impaired live virus vaccine. Vaccine 26: 1195-1203, 2008.
Awasthi S., Isler J. A.and Alwine J. C. Novel splice variants of immediate early region gene in Human cytomegalo virus.Journal of Virology 78:8191-8200, 2004.
Awasthi S. and Alwine J. C. Characterization of a pre-mRNA cleavage factor Im and U1snRNP association. RNA 9: 1400-1409, 2003.
Awasthi S., Palmer R., Castro, C.D. Mobarak, S. W. Ruby. New roles for the Exo84 proteins in yeast pre-m RNA splicing. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 31004-31015, 2001.
Contact:
Sita Awasthi, Ph.D.
522F Johnson Pavilion
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Email: sawasthi@mail.med.upenn.edu
Education:
Devi Ahilya University, Indore, India, Ph.D. Biochemistry
Academic Rank: Research Assistant Professor
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