Imaging viral-host interactions for the advancement of human health
Overview of our research
Viruses are inextricably linked to the host cells that they infect. Thus, investigating viral-host interactions is essential to understand the mechanisms of viral entry, replication, pathogenesis, and the host’s ability to respond to viral pathogens. The Barnes lab excels in leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to address fundamental principles of viral-host interactions for therapeutic benefit. We combine biophysical and structural methods with in vivo approaches to understand how enveloped viruses infect host cells and elicit immune responses. In particular, our research translates knowledge of the structural correlates of antibody-mediated neutralization into the development of highly protective antibodies and therapeutic reagents. A related goal of our research is to identify conserved epitopes on viral glycoproteins that are recognized by neutralizing antibodies to facilitate structure-based immunogen design for candidate vaccines against HIV-1, coronaviruses and emerging viral threats.
News & Events
April 2022 – CONGRATULATIONS to Adonis, Gina, and Zaria on being awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Y’all are awesome!!!
February 2022 – Welcome Dr. Morgan Abernathy (staff scientist) to the lab!
January/February 2022 – Adonis Rubio (Immunology), Gina El Nesr (Biophysics), and Jacob Summers (Structural Biology) start their Winter Quarter Rotation!!
December 4, 2021 – The inaugural Barraf Holiday Party and Gift Exchange is on record :)
November 2021 – OMG, got our first grant!!! The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be supporting our work on HIV-1 therapeutics and vaccine design!!
October 2021 – Welcome Teresia Chen (research technician) and Erica Lee (lab manager) to the lab!!!
September 2021 – Zaria Contejean, first year graduate student in Genetics, joins the lab for Autumn Quarter Rotation!
August 24, 2021 – Dr. Barnes is profiled in a feature article for the Stanford Report and ChEM-H website. Thanks Rebecca for the great write-up!
July 6, 2021 – We welcome Josh Carter (MSTP student) as the lab’s first rotation student.
July 1, 2021 – The Barnes Lab officially opens at Stanford!