Herbert W. Virgin

Last updated
Herbert W. "Skip" Virgin
Born
Miami, Florida
Alma mater
Known for
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Doctoral advisor

Herbert W. "Skip" Virgin has served in academic, industry, and foundation roles related to infectious diseases, virology, immunology and genetics. He served as the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology & Immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine [1] and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. [2] He is best known for establishing murine norovirus as a model system for studying norovirus biology, for identifying host phenotypes associated with persistent viral infections, and for defining alterations to the human virome in the context of different diseases, for elucidating the roles of autophagy and interferon-stimulated genes during viral infection. He supervised the discovery of, and assisted with the development of, multiple therapeutics for infections while at Vir Biotechnology, including the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab which received emergency use authorization during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. He is currently leading the AI Enabled Cures Frontier program at the Gates Foundation.

Life

Herbert Virgin was born in Miami, Florida and studied biology at Harvard University as an undergraduate, graduating magna cum laude. He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School, with his thesis work focusing on host immune responses to Listeria monocytogenes in the laboratory of Dr. Emil Unanue. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. [3] Following post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Bernard Fields in viral genetics, he completed training in infectiouse diseases and joined the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine. He remained at Washington University until 2018, ending his time there as Chair of the Department of Pathology & Immunology.

He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the American Academy of Microbiology. He is a past member of the board of reviewing editors at Science and Cell.

Dr. Virgin focused his research at the interface between infection, pathogen genetics, the host and host genetics. He is an author of 260 peer-reviewed articles and multiple reviews. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] His team's work on Crohn's disease led to increased interest in linking emerging human genetics data to drug discovery and clinical trials. [14] Pathogen discovery efforts included the discovery of murine norovirus, the first structure and culture of a norovirus, the first protein receptor for a norovirus, and the development of norovirus genetics. [15] [16] [17] They developed the concept of the mammalian virome and linked human diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, AIDS and Type 1 Diabetes to the alterations in the virome. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] They also showed symbiotic advantages for certain chronic infections, control of herpesvirus latency by helminthic worm infection (via regulation of key viral promoters) and the imprinting of immunity by early-life infections. [23] [24] [25]

From 2009 to 2014 he served as the Director and Principal Investigator of the Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease Research.

From 2018 to 2022 he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Vir Biotechnology and served as the Head of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Chief Medical Officer at Altos Labs from 2022 to 2023, recruiting the IOM leadership team.

While at Vir, he directed drug discovery and early development programs leading to 6 new molecular entities entering the clinic in ~5 years. Sotrovimab was approved for emergency use to treat COVID-19. Two others drugs have received FDA Fast Track Status for treatment of hepatitis delta virus.

Virgin joined the Gates Foundation in 2024 as Distinguished Fellow in AI Drug Discovery and Development and Head of the AI Enabled Cures Frontier Program in the Gates Foundation Accelerator. This project is to improve drug discovery via creation of AI tools while using those tools to discover and develop drugs to cure diseases such as cervical cancer and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.

References

  1. ↑ "Herbert Virgin IV, MD, PhD". Washington University School of Medicine. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  2. ↑ "Herbert W. Virgin, IV". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  3. ↑ "Herbert Virgin, M.D., Ph.D." mBio Board of Editors. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  4. ↑ Karst, Stephanie M.; Wobus, Christiane E.; Goodfellow, Ian G.; Green, Kim Y.; Virgin, Herbert W. (2014-06-11). "Advances in norovirus biology". Cell Host & Microbe. 15 (6): 668–680. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2014.05.015. ISSN   1934-6069. PMC   4113907 . PMID   24922570.
  5. ↑ Gupta, Rajesh; Purcell, Lisa A.; Corti, Davide; Virgin, Herbert W. (2023-04-05). "Pandemic preparedness strategies must go beyond vaccines". Science Translational Medicine. 15 (690): eadd3055. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.add3055. ISSN   1946-6242. PMID   37018420.
  6. ↑ Arvin, Ann M.; Fink, Katja; Schmid, Michael A.; Cathcart, Andrea; Spreafico, Roberto; Havenar-Daughton, Colin; Lanzavecchia, Antonio; Corti, Davide; Virgin, Herbert W. (August 2020). "A perspective on potential antibody-dependent enhancement of SARS-CoV-2". Nature. 584 (7821): 353–363. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2538-8 . ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   32659783.
  7. ↑ Telenti, Amalio; Arvin, Ann; Corey, Lawrence; Corti, Davide; Diamond, Michael S.; García-Sastre, Adolfo; Garry, Robert F.; Holmes, Edward C.; Pang, Phillip S.; Virgin, Herbert W. (August 2021). "After the pandemic: perspectives on the future trajectory of COVID-19". Nature. 596 (7873): 495–504. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03792-w . ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   34237771.
  8. ↑ Stappenbeck, Thaddeus S.; Virgin, Herbert W. (2016-06-09). "Accounting for reciprocal host-microbiome interactions in experimental science". Nature. 534 (7606): 191–199. doi:10.1038/nature18285. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   27279212.
  9. ↑ Pfeiffer, Julie K.; Virgin, Herbert W. (2016-01-15). "Viral immunity. Transkingdom control of viral infection and immunity in the mammalian intestine". Science. 351 (6270): 10.1126/science.aad5872 aad5872. doi:10.1126/science.aad5872. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   4751997 . PMID   26816384.
  10. ↑ Virgin, Herbert W. (2014-03-27). "The virome in mammalian physiology and disease". Cell. 157 (1): 142–150. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.032. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   3977141 . PMID   24679532.
  11. ↑ Levine, Beth; Mizushima, Noboru; Virgin, Herbert W. (2011-01-20). "Autophagy in immunity and inflammation". Nature. 469 (7330): 323–335. doi:10.1038/nature09782. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   3131688 . PMID   21248839.
  12. ↑ Virgin, Herbert W.; Wherry, E. John; Ahmed, Rafi (2009-07-10). "Redefining chronic viral infection". Cell. 138 (1): 30–50. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.06.036 . ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   19596234.
  13. ↑ Virgin, Herbert W.; Walker, Bruce D. (2010-03-11). "Immunology and the elusive AIDS vaccine". Nature. 464 (7286): 224–231. doi:10.1038/nature08898. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   20220841.
  14. ↑ Cadwell, Ken; Liu, John Y.; Brown, Sarah L.; Miyoshi, Hiroyuki; Loh, Joy; Lennerz, Jochen K.; Kishi, Chieko; Kc, Wumesh; Carrero, Javier A.; Hunt, Steven; Stone, Christian D.; Brunt, Elizabeth M.; Xavier, Ramnik J.; Sleckman, Barry P.; Li, Ellen (2008-11-13). "A key role for autophagy and the autophagy gene Atg16l1 in mouse and human intestinal Paneth cells". Nature. 456 (7219): 259–263. doi:10.1038/nature07416. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   2695978 . PMID   18849966.
  15. ↑ Orchard, Robert C.; Wilen, Craig B.; Doench, John G.; Baldridge, Megan T.; McCune, Broc T.; Lee, Ying-Chiang J.; Lee, Sanghyun; Pruett-Miller, Shondra M.; Nelson, Christopher A.; Fremont, Daved H.; Virgin, Herbert W. (2016-08-26). "Discovery of a proteinaceous cellular receptor for a norovirus". Science. 353 (6302): 933–936. doi:10.1126/science.aaf1220. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   5484048 . PMID   27540007.
  16. ↑ Karst, Stephanie M.; Wobus, Christiane E.; Lay, Margarita; Davidson, John; Virgin, Herbert W. (2003-03-07). "STAT1-dependent innate immunity to a Norwalk-like virus". Science. 299 (5612): 1575–1578. doi:10.1126/science.1077905. ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   12624267.
  17. ↑ Cadwell, Ken; Patel, Khushbu K.; Maloney, Nicole S.; Liu, Ta-Chiang; Ng, Aylwin C. Y.; Storer, Chad E.; Head, Richard D.; Xavier, Ramnik; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus S.; Virgin, Herbert W. (2010-06-25). "Virus-plus-susceptibility gene interaction determines Crohn's disease gene Atg16L1 phenotypes in intestine". Cell. 141 (7): 1135–1145. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.009. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   2908380 . PMID   20602997.
  18. ↑ Virgin, Herbert W. (2014-03-27). "The virome in mammalian physiology and disease". Cell. 157 (1): 142–150. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.032. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   3977141 . PMID   24679532.
  19. ↑ Virgin, Herbert W.; Wherry, E. John; Ahmed, Rafi (2009-07-10). "Redefining chronic viral infection". Cell. 138 (1): 30–50. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.06.036 . ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   19596234.
  20. ↑ Zhao, Guoyan; Vatanen, Tommi; Droit, Lindsay; Park, Arnold; Kostic, Aleksandar D.; Poon, Tiffany W.; Vlamakis, Hera; Siljander, Heli; Härkönen, Taina; Hämäläinen, Anu-Maaria; Peet, Aleksandr; Tillmann, Vallo; Ilonen, Jorma; Wang, David; Knip, Mikael (2017-07-25). "Intestinal virome changes precede autoimmunity in type I diabetes-susceptible children". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 114 (30): E6166 –E6175. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1706359114 . ISSN   1091-6490. PMC   5544325 . PMID   28696303.
  21. ↑ Monaco, Cynthia L.; Gootenberg, David B.; Zhao, Guoyan; Handley, Scott A.; Ghebremichael, Musie S.; Lim, Efrem S.; Lankowski, Alex; Baldridge, Megan T.; Wilen, Craig B.; Flagg, Meaghan; Norman, Jason M.; Keller, Brian C.; Luévano, Jesús Mario; Wang, David; Boum, Yap (2016-03-09). "Altered Virome and Bacterial Microbiome in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome". Cell Host & Microbe. 19 (3): 311–322. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2016.02.011. ISSN   1934-6069. PMC   4821831 . PMID   26962942.
  22. ↑ Norman, Jason M.; Handley, Scott A.; Baldridge, Megan T.; Droit, Lindsay; Liu, Catherine Y.; Keller, Brian C.; Kambal, Amal; Monaco, Cynthia L.; Zhao, Guoyan; Fleshner, Phillip; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus S.; McGovern, Dermot P. B.; Keshavarzian, Ali; Mutlu, Ece A.; Sauk, Jenny (2015-01-29). "Disease-specific alterations in the enteric virome in inflammatory bowel disease". Cell. 160 (3): 447–460. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2015.01.002. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   4312520 . PMID   25619688.
  23. ↑ Reese, T. A.; Wakeman, B. S.; Choi, H. S.; Hufford, M. M.; Huang, S. C.; Zhang, X.; Buck, M. D.; Jezewski, A.; Kambal, A.; Liu, C. Y.; Goel, G.; Murray, P. J.; Xavier, R. J.; Kaplan, M. H.; Renne, R. (2014-08-01). "Helminth infection reactivates latent γ-herpesvirus via cytokine competition at a viral promoter". Science. 345 (6196): 573–577. doi:10.1126/science.1254517. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   4531374 . PMID   24968940.
  24. ↑ Reese, Tiffany A.; Bi, Kevin; Kambal, Amal; Filali-Mouhim, Ali; Beura, Lalit K.; Bürger, Matheus C.; Pulendran, Bali; Sekaly, Rafick-Pierre; Jameson, Stephen C.; Masopust, David; Haining, W. Nicholas; Virgin, Herbert W. (2016-05-11). "Sequential Infection with Common Pathogens Promotes Human-like Immune Gene Expression and Altered Vaccine Response". Cell Host & Microbe. 19 (5): 713–719. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2016.04.003. ISSN   1934-6069. PMC   4896745 . PMID   27107939.
  25. ↑ Barton, Erik S.; White, Douglas W.; Virgin, Herbert W. (February 2009). "Herpesvirus latency and symbiotic protection from bacterial infection". Viral Immunology. 22 (1): 3–4, author reply 5–6. doi:10.1089/vim.2008.0100. ISSN   1557-8976. PMC   2952131 . PMID   19210221.
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