Alexandra Wells, PhD

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Why did you choose the University of Pittsburgh?

I chose Pitt because of the large number of faculty that I could see myself working with and the strong record of NIH funding. Another factor was that everyone involved in the interview process was welcoming and excited about the future.

Doctoral Dissertation

The roles of the neonatal Fc receptor and interferons in echovirus pathogenesis

Education & Training

  • PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2022
  • BS in Biology, Bucknell University, 2015

Research Interests

Virology; Innate immunity

Publications

Wells AI and Coyne CB. 2019. Enteroviruses: a gut-wrenching game of entry, detection and evasion. Viruses. 11: pii: E460.

Good C, Wells AI and Coyne CB. 2019. Type III interferon signaling restricts Enterovirus 71 infection of goblet cells. Sci. Adv. 5: eaau4255. 

Morosky S*, Wells AI*, Lemon K, Evans AS, Schamus S, Bakkenist CJ and Coyne CB. 2019. The neonatal Fc receptor is a pan-echovirus receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 116: 3758-3763. (*Authors contributed equally)

Wells AI and Coyne CB. Type III Interferons in Antiviral Defenses at Barrier Surfaces. Trends Immunol. 39: 848-858.

Balinsky CA, Schmeisser H, Wells AI, Ganesan S, Jin T, Singh K and Zoon KC. 2016. IRAV (FLJ11286), an Interferon Stimulated Gene with Antiviral Activity Against Dengue Virus, Interacts with MOV10. J Virol. 91: e01606-16.