Doug Reed, PhD

  • Associate Professor, Department of Immunology
  • Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
  • Member, Center for Vaccine Research

Education & Training

  • Postdoc, University of Connecticut Health Center at Farmington, 1995-1999
  • PhD in Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 1996
  • MS in Microbiology, Oklahoma State University, 1990
  • BS in Microbiology, Oklahoma State University, 1987

Research Interest Summary

Respiratory infections; aerobiology; host-pathogen interactions; animal models

Research Interests

Aerobiology and pathophysiology of severe respiratory infections. The Reed lab works in the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, doing research involving respiratory infection with high-hazard pathogens like avian influenza viruses, coronaviruses, encephalitic alphaviruses, and tularemia. We utilize state-of-the-art, world-class equipment for exposing animals (rodents, ferrets, rabbits, nonhuman primates) to aerosols containing infectious agents to either improve our understanding of how these agents cause disease or to test and evaluate vaccines or therapeutics that may eventually go into human use. We are collaborating with investigators both within Pitt and at other institutions to assess potential vaccines and treatments for influenza, tularemia, and the encephalitic alphaviruses. This includes aerosol delivery of vaccines and treatments, to assess whether delivery to the site of entry could improve efficacy and/or reduce the amount needed. Using our aerobiology capabilities, we are assessing virus survival in aerosols and on surfaces and how that can impact transmission of respiratory viruses and inform discussions on pandemic potential of these viruses. In addition to our aerobiology capabilities, we can continuously monitor, record, and analyze the animal’s physiological response to infection using radiotelemetry devices to monitor body temperature, cardiac function, and neurological function. Plethysmography is used to assess changes in respiratory function after infection. We also assess pathological and immunological changes after infection, seeking to understand how the pathogen causes disease and how the host responds, to better understand pathogenesis in animals and translate these results to human disease.

Publications

Fears, A.C., Klimstra, W.B., Duprex, P., Hartman, A., Weaver, S.C., Plante, K.C., Mirchandani, D., Plante, J.A., Aguilar, P.V., Fernández, D., Nalca A., Totura, A., Dyer, D., Kearney, B., Lackemeyer, M., Bohannon, J.K., Johnson, R., Garry, R.F., Reed, D.S.*, Roy C.J.* 2020. Persistence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Aerosol Suspensions. Emer Inf Dis. Jun 22;26(9) PMID: 32568661 * - equal contribution.

Nambulli, S., Xiang, Y., Tilston-Lunel, N., Murphy, L.J., Sang, Z., Klimstra, W., Reed, D.S., Crossland, N.A,. Shi, Y., Duprex, P.W. 2021. Inhalable Nanobody (PiN-21) prevents and treats SARS-CoV-2 infections in Syrian hamsters at ultra-low doses. Science Advances May 26;7(22):eabh0319 PMID: 34039613

Ma, H., Albe, J., Gilliland, T., McMillen, C., Gardner, C.M., Garner, C.M., Boyles, D.A., Cottle, E.L., Dunn. M.D., Lundy, J.D., Salama, N., O’Malley, K.J., Pandrea, I., Teichert, T., Klimstra, W.B., Hartman, A.L., Reed, D.S. 2022. Long-term persistence of viral RNA and inflammation in the CNS of macaques exposed to aerosols containing Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. PLoS Pathogens 18(6):e1009946. PMID: 35696423

O’Malley, K., Bowling, J.D., Stinson, E., Cole, K.S., Mann, B.J., Namjoshi, P., Hazlett, K.R.O.*, Barry, E.M.*, Reed, D.S.* 2018. Aerosol prime-boost vaccination with defined, attenuated mutants of type A Francisella tularensis provides strong protection in outbred rabbits against lethal aerosol challenge with virulent SCHU S4. PLoS ONE Oct 22;13(10):e0205928 PMID: 30346998 * - equal contribution

Wonderlich, E.R., Swan, Z.D., Bissel, S.J., Hartman, A.L., Carney, J.P., O’Malley, K.J., Obadan, A.O., Santos, J., Walker, R., Sturgeon, T.J., Frye Jr., L.J., Maiello, P., Scanga, C.A., Bowling, J.D., Bouwer, A.L., Duangkhae, P.A., Wiley, C.A., Flynn, J.L., Wang, J., Cole, K.S., Perez, D.R., Reed, D.S., Barratt-Boyes, S.M. 2017. Widespread virus replication in alveoli drives acute respiratory distress syndrome in aerosolized H5N1 influenza infection of macaques. J. Immunol. 198(4):1616-26 PMID 28062701

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