Adolfo García-Sastre,(born in Burgos, 10 October 1964) is a Spanish professor of Medicine and Microbiology and co-director of the Global Health & Emerging Pathogens Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. His research into the biology of influenza viruses has been at the forefront of medical advances in epidemiology.[1]

Adolfo García-Sastre
Born (1964-10-10) 10 October 1964 (age 60)
NationalitySpanish and American
Alma materUniversity of Salamanca
Known forinfluenza virus research; reconstruction of the extinct 1918 pandemic influenza virus
Scientific career
FieldsMicrobiology
InstitutionsMount Sinai Medical Center

García-Sastre is the author of more than 700 publications.

Biography

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Adolfo García Sastre speaking at a conference in South Korea in 2024.

Born in Burgos, Spain, García-Sastre earned his PhD at the University of Salamanca.[citation needed] His research interest has been focused on the molecular biology of influenza viruses and several other negative-strand RNA viruses. His contributions to his field have included the generation and evaluation of influenza virus vectors as potential vaccine candidates against infectious diseases, including malaria and AIDS, as well as the development (with Peter Palese) of the first reverse-genetic approaches for the production of infectious recombinant influenza viruses from plasmid DNA – research which has resulted in techniques which are now routinely used with many negative strand RNA viruses. He was the first to identify the biological role of the non-structural NS1 Influenza Protein during infection, the first to describe and provide a molecular analysis of a viral-encoded IFN antagonist among negative strand RNA viruses,[1] and the first to demonstrate that the M1 protein of the influenza virus determines its morphology.

In 2005, as principal investigator of an NIAID program project grant, García-Sastre and his team made headlines when they reconstructed the extinct 1918 pandemic influenza virus.[2]

García-Sastre is an editor for the Journal of Experimental Medicine and PLOS Pathogens, and he sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Virology, Virology, Virus Research and the Journal of General Virology. In 2001, he co-organized the International Course on Viral Vectors in Heidelberg, Germany, which was sponsored by the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), as well as the first Research Conference on Orthomyxoviruses, also in 2001, which was held in the Netherlands and sponsored by the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza.[2] He is a co-founder of Vivaldi Biosciences and a member of the company's Scientific Advisory board[3] and is the leader of the basic research component on the NIAID-funded Viral Therapeutics and Pathogenesis of the North East Biodefense Center proposal.[4] He was among the first members of the Vaccine Study Section of the National Institutes of Health.[5] He is also principal investigator for the Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis, one of five NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS).

He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2019.[6]

Patents

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García-Sastre holds 7 patents:[7]

Number Title
20090280144 Recombinant newcastle disease virus RNA expression systems and vaccines[8]
20090203114 Novel methods and Interferon deficient substrates for the propagation of virues[9]
20090061521 Recombinant negative strand RNA virus expression systems and vaccines[10]
20090053264 Attenuated negative strand viruses with altered interferon antagonist activity for use as vaccines and pharmaceuticals[11]
20090028901 Screening methods for identifying viral proteins with interferon antagonizing functions and potential antiviral agents[12]
20090010962 Genetically Engineered Swine Influenza Virus and Uses Thereof[13]
20080254060 Genetically Engineered Equine Influenza Virus and Uses Thereof[14]

Publications

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Partial List:

References

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  1. ^ a b "RetroVirox". Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Center for Investigating Viral Immunity & Antagonism". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  3. ^ "Founders and Scientific Advisory Board Page – Vivaldi Biosciences Inc". Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Adolfo García-Sastre Lab". Retrieved 28 April 2015. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  5. ^ "Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Faculty profile". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  6. ^ "2019 NAS Election". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Adolfo García-Sastre - Patents". Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  8. ^ "USPTO - Recombinant newcastle disease virus RNA expression systems and vaccines". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
  9. ^ "USPTO - NOVEL METHODS AND INTERFERON DEFICIENT SUBSTRATES FOR THE PROPAGATION OF VIRUSES".
  10. ^ "USPTO - Recombinant negative strand RNA virus expression systems and vaccines". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
  11. ^ "USPTO - Attenuated negative strand viruses with altered interferon antagonist activity for use as vaccines and pharmaceuticals". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
  12. ^ "USPTO - Screening methods for identifying viral proteins with interferon antagonizing functions and potential antiviral agents". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
  13. ^ "USPTO - Genetically Engineered Swine Influenza Virus and Uses Thereof". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
  14. ^ "USPTO - Genetically Engineered Equine Influenza Virus and Uses Thereof". Archived from the original on 21 November 2005.
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