Muddassar Hameed
Faculty Mentor
James Weger-Lucarelli
Assistant Professor
Research Areas/Interests
Arboviruses, host/vector interacations
Most Recent Publication
Immune response to arbovirus infection in obesity
How long have you been in your postdoctoral position at Virginia Tech?
Began in Februrary 2022
Briefly describe the research project you are working on as a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Tech. What is the problem you are addressing? What is the expected impact of your work?
The major goal of our project is to define the role of obesity-associated immune genes on alphavrius pathogenesis in lean and obese hosts and to deine the interplay between macrophages, NK cells, and neutrophils with obesity in the context of alphaviruses infection.
Currently, I am working on two projects:
- Exploring the obesity impact of alphaviruses pathogenesis
- Developing an immunocompetent mouse model for dengue virus infections
These projects will help us to develop antivirals or immune blockers for obese peopole. The development of a dengue virus mouse model will lead to the development of better human vaccines which will could have a huge impact on public health.
Why did you choose to pursue postdoctoral training at Virginia Tech?
I heard very positive comments about James Weger's lab environment and that he was a supportive mentor.
What are your career goals? How do you see the resources available to postdoctoral associates at Virginia Tech generally and via this program specifically being helpful to your career and professional development?
I hope that the experience of grant writing and interaction with scientists and researchers during my time as a postdoc affiliated with this program at Virginia Tech will be beneficial as I work toward my goal of obtaining a faculty position.