Gary Nabel

Last updated
Gary J. Nabel
Alma mater Harvard University
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Scientific career
Fields Virology, Immunology
Institutions Sanofi
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Harvard Medical School
University of Michigan

Gary J. Nabel is an American virologist and immunologist. He is the co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of ModeX Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Natick, Massachusetts. [1] From 1999 to November 2012, he served as the founding director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [2] [3] , part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Contents

Education

Nabel earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1975. He received his doctor of medicine degree in 1980 and his doctorate in 1982. His doctoral research was completed under immunologist Harvey Cantor. [4]

After completing his doctorate, Nabel conducted postdoctoral research with molecular biologist David Baltimore at the Whitehead Institute, focusing on transcriptional regulation of HIV gene expression by the transcription factor NF-κB. [5] [6]

He later completed a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Career

Nabel joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1987, where he led a research laboratory on infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapy. He served as a professor of internal medicine and biological chemistry and as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute until 1999, [7] conducting research on viral vectors in gene therapy and transcriptional regulation of cellular and viral gene expression. [8] [9]

In 1999, Nabel joined the NIH in Washington, D.C., to help establish a vaccine research program. He served as the first director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the NIH. The Vaccine Research Center focused on laboratory research and clinical trials of vaccines, including over 100 clinical studies conducted in the United States, Europe, and Africa, involving candidates for SARS, Chikungunya, Universal Influenza, and Ebola vaccines. [10]

When Nabel joined Sanofi in 2012, he worked with colleagues to develop trispecific antibodies as potential HIV treatments. [11] In 2013, Nabel was appointed Chairman of the Strategic Development and Scientific Advisory Council (SDSAC). [12]

Nabel co-founded ModeX Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, in 2020. [13] In May 2022, ModeX Therapeutics was acquired by OPKO Health. [14]

Biomedical research

At the University of Michigan, Nabel's basic research investigated gene transfer, [15] basic mechanisms of HIV gene regulation, and NF-κB transcriptional control. [16] [17]

During his time at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC), Nabel's research focused on neutralizing antibodies. His Ebola research using molecular immunology and molecular virology techniques identified genes critical for Ebola virus replication and assembly. This work led to the development of a vaccine that was tested in non-human primates [18] [19] [20] [21] and helped define the immune mechanisms of protection, setting the foundation for the VSV vaccine.

The VRC also developed a Chikungunya vaccine effective in primates and utilized a structure-based approach to vaccine design that revealed broadly protective human immune responses to HIV. [22] This led to the discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies to the highly conserved CD4 binding site of HIV that entered human efficacy trials in Africa. [23]

At Sanofi, Nabel's worked on trispecific antibody constructs that subsequently entered clinical evaluation for the treatment and prevention of AIDS and cancer. [24] [25]

Awards

Nabel has received the Amgen Scientific Achievement Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, [26] The Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Builders of Science Award from Research America, and the James Tolbert Shipley Prize for Research at Harvard Medical School. [26] He received an honorary degree from the University of London, as well as the U.S. Army Medical Department’s Order of Military Medical Merit. Nabel is an elected fellow of the Association of American Physicians, the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences, and the AAAS. Nabel was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1992 and the National Academy of Medicine in 1998.

Nabel served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Keystone Symposia [27] from 2017 to 2019. He was a Council Delegate to the AAAS, Medical Sciences Section from 1997 to 2002, and was the editor for the Journal of Virology from 1995 to 2005.

Selected publications

See Google Scholar for citation information.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Gary Nabel » ModeX Therapeutics". ModeX Therapeutics. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  2. ↑ Malakoff, David (1999-03-10). "Nabel to Head AIDS Vaccine Institute". www.science.org. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  3. ↑ Levin, Jennifer (15 November 2012). "Sanofi Appoints Dr. Gary J. Nabel as Chief Scientific Officer". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "home0004 - Dr. Gary Jan Nabel (born 1953)". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  5. ↑ Nabel, Gary; Baltimore, David (1987). "An inducible transcription factor activates expression of human immunodeficiency virus in T cells". Nature. 326 (6114): 711–713. Bibcode:1987Natur.326..711N. doi:10.1038/326711a0. PMID   3031512.
  6. ↑ Osborn, L.; Kunkel, S.; Nabel, G. J. (1989). "Tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1 stimulate the human immunodeficiency virus enhancer by activation of the nuclear factor kappa B". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 86 (7): 2336–2340. Bibcode:1989PNAS...86.2336O. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.7.2336 . PMC   286907 . PMID   2494664.
  7. ↑ Dolgin, Elie (2013). "Straight talk with Gary Nabel". Nature Medicine. 19 (3): 256. doi:10.1038/nm0313-256. PMID   23467227.
  8. ↑ Nabel, G. J.; Nabel, E. G.; Yang, Z. Y.; Fox, B. A.; Plautz, G. E.; Gao, X.; Huang, L.; Shu, S.; Gordon, D.; Chang, A. E. (1993-12-01). "Direct gene transfer with DNA-liposome complexes in melanoma: expression, biologic activity, and lack of toxicity in humans". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 90 (23): 11307–
  9. ↑ Elgass, Jane R. (1997-12-10). "Omenn details Med Center Initiatives | The University Record". The University Record, University of Michigan. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  10. ↑ "NIH Vaccine Chief Gary Nabel Trades Dream Job for Big Pharma". www.science.org. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  11. ↑ Wu, X; Yang, ZY; Li, Y; Hogerkorp, CM; Schief, WR; Seaman, MS; Zhou, T; Schmidt, SD; Wu, L; Xu, L; Longo, NS; McKee, K; O'Dell, S; Louder, MK; Wycuff, DL; Feng, Y; Nason, M; Doria-Rose, N; Connors, M; Kwong, PD; Roederer, M; Wyatt, RT; Nabel, GJ; Mascola, JR (Aug 2010). "Rational design of envelope identifies broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to HIV-1". Science. 329 (5993): 856–61. Bibcode:2010Sci...329..856W. doi:10.1126/science.1187659. PMC   2965066 . PMID   20616233.
  12. ↑ Sanofi (2013). "Sanofi appoints Dr. Gary J. Nabel as Chairman of the SDSAC - Jan 7/2013". European Pharmaceutical Review. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  13. ↑ Incorvaia, Darren (October 9, 2024). "ModeX's multispecific antibodies shut down COVID variants and advance to the clinic with $35M more BARDA bucks" . Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  14. ↑ Pandey, Pragya (June 7, 2022). "Is OPKO Health A Diagnostics Stock Worth Buying?". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  15. ↑ Nabel, G. J.; Nabel, E. G.; Yang, Z. Y.; Fox, B. A.; Plautz, G. E.; Gao, X.; Huang, L.; Shu, S.; Gordon, D.; Chang, A. E. (1993). "Direct gene transfer with DNA-liposome complexes in melanoma: expression, biologic activity, and lack of toxicity in humans". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 90 (23): 11307–11311. Bibcode:1993PNAS...9011307N. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.23.11307 . PMC   47971 . PMID   8248244.
  16. ↑ Wu, X; Yang, ZY; Li, Y; Hogerkorp, CM; Schief, WR; Seaman, MS; Zhou, T; Schmidt, SD; Wu, L; Xu, L; Longo, NS; McKee, K; O'Dell, S; Louder, MK; Wycuff, DL; Feng, Y; Nason, M; Doria-Rose, N; Connors, M; Kwong, PD; Roederer, M; Wyatt, RT; Nabel, GJ; Mascola, JR (Aug 2010). "Rational design of envelope identifies broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to HIV-1". Science. 329 (5993): 856–61. Bibcode:2010Sci...329..856W. doi:10.1126/science.1187659. PMC   2965066 . PMID   20616233.
  17. ↑ Branswell, Helen (2016-03-17). "Sanofi science chief says it's to time 'think big' about Zika". Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  18. ↑ Sullivan, NJ; Hensley, L; Asiedu, C; Geisbert, TW; Stanley, D; Johnson, J; Honko, A; Olinger, G; Bailey, M; Geisbert, JB; Reimann, KA; Bao, S; Rao, S; Roederer, M; Jahrling, PB; Koup, RA; Nabel, GJ (2011). "CD8(+) cellular immunity mediates rAd5 vaccine protection against Ebola virus infection of nonhuman primates". Nat. Med. 17 (9): 1128–1131. doi:10.1038/nm.2447. PMID   21857654.
  19. ↑ Sullivan, NJ; Geisbert, TW; Geisbert, JB; Xu, L; Yang, Z-Y; Roederer, M; Koup, RA; Jahrling, PB; Nabel, GJ (2003). "Accelerated vaccination for Ebola virus haemorrhagic fever in non-human primates". Nature. 424 (6949): 681–684. Bibcode:2003Natur.424..681S. doi:10.1038/nature01876. PMC   7095492 . PMID   12904795.
  20. ↑ Xu L, Sanchez A, Yang Z, Zaki SR, Nabel EG, Nichol ST, Nabel GJ. "Immunization for Ebola virus infection. Nature Med. 4(1):37-42.
  21. ↑ Sullivan, N; Sanchez, A; Rollin, PE; Yang, ZY; Nabel, GJ (2000). "Development of a preventative vaccine for Ebola virus infection in primates". Nature. 408 (6812): 605–609. Bibcode:2000Natur.408..605S. doi:10.1038/35046108. PMID   11117750.
  22. ↑ Zhou, T; Xu, L; Dey, B; Hessell, AJ; Van Ryk, D; Xiang, S-H; Yang, X; Zhang M-, Y; Zwick, MB; Arthos, J; Burton, DR; Dimitrov, DS; Sodroski, J; Wyatt, R; Nabel, GJ; Kwong, PD (2007). "Structural definition of a conserved neutralization epitope on HIV-1 gp120". Nature. 445 (7129): 732–7. Bibcode:2007Natur.445..732Z. doi:10.1038/nature05580. PMC   2584968 . PMID   17301785.
  23. ↑ 7. Pegu A, Yang ZY, Boyington JC, Wu L, Ko SY, Schmidt SD, McKee K, Kong WP, Shi W, Chen X, Todd JP, Letvin NL, Huang J, Nason MC, Hoxie JA, Kwong PD, Connors M, Rao SS, Mascola JR, Nabel GJ. "Neutralizing antibodies to HIV-1 envelope protect more effectively in vivo than those to the CD4 receptor. Sci. Transl. Med. 6(243):243ra88, 2014.
  24. ↑ Wu, L; Seung, E; Xu, L; Rao, E; Lord, DM; Wei, RR; Cortez-Retamozo, V; Ospina, B; Posternak, V; Ulinski, G; Piepenhagen, P; Francesconi, E; El-Murr, N; Beil, C; Kirby, P; Li, A; Fretland, J; Vicente, R; Deng, GJ; Dabdoubi, T; Cameron, B; Bertrand, T; Ferrari, P; Pouzieux, S; Lemoine, C; Prades, C; Park, A; Qiu, HW; Song, ZL; Zhang, BL; Sun, FX; Chiron, M; Rao, S; Radošević, R; Yang, Z-Y; Nabel, GJ (2019). "Trispecific antibodies enhance the therapeutic efficacy of tumor-directed T cells through T cell receptor co-stimulation". Nat Cancer. 1: 86–98. doi:10.1038/s43018-019-0004-z. PMID   35121834.
  25. ↑ Xu, L; Pegu, A; Rao, E; Doria-Rose, N; Beninga, J; McKee, K; Lord, DM; Wei, RR; Deng, G; Louder, M; Schmidt, SD; Mankoff, Z; Wu, L; Asokan, M; Beil, C; Lange, C; Leuschner, WD; Kruip, J; Sendak, R; Kwon, YD; Zhou, T; Chen, X; Bailer, RT; Wang, K; Choe, M; Tartaglia, LJ; Barouch, DH; O'Dell, S; Todd, JP; Burton, DR; Roederer, M; Connors, M; Koup, RA; Kwong, PD; Yang, ZY; Mascola, JR; Nabel, GJ (Oct 2017). "Trispecific broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies mediate potent SHIV protection in macaques". Science. 358 (6359): 85–90. Bibcode:2017Sci...358...85X. doi:10.1126/science.aan8630. PMC   5978417 . PMID   28931639.
  26. 1 2 Infections, Institute of Medicine (US) Forum on Emerging; Knobler, Stacey L.; Mahmoud, Adel AF; Pray, Leslie A. (2002), "Forum Member, Speaker, and Staff Biographies", Biological Threats and Terrorism: Assessing The Science and Response Capabilities: Workshop Summary, National Academies Press (US), retrieved 2024-11-24
  27. ↑ "Leadership". OPKO Health, Inc. 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
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