Description of Research Expertise

I have conducted extensive research on respiratory viruses that continue to infect humans, domestic and peri-domestic animals, and birds for nearly two decades. My work has significantly contributed to understanding influenza virus transmission from animal hosts to humans and also from humans back to animal hosts. I studied the factors of immunity related to this transmission events, the protective role of various immune responses against these viruses, and the efficacy of different flu vaccine formulations. This body of work directly contributed to mitigating influenza-related morbidity and mortality during and after the 2009 influenza pandemic.

During the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) epidemic in 2012(36% mortality rate), I investigated MERS-CoV infections in humans across Europe, Asia, Saudi Arabia and the African Peninsula. My research studies were among the first to conclusively identify camels as the major reservoir and direct source of human MERS-CoV infections. In collaboration with other global health partners, I conducted immunological and pathological studies that provided detailed insights into MERS-CoV infections in both camels and humans worldwide. The findings from these studies informed the World Health Organization (WHO) in developing preventive measures to successfully mitigate MERS-CoV transmission among humans. Currently, I am investigating the pathology and immune responses associated with different MERS-CoV strains that continue to infect humans, camels, and other domestic and peri-domestic animals across the Arabian Peninsula, the African continent, and other regions. In recognition of this body of work, I was invited to serve on the WHO expert panel on MERS-CoV, where I designed and conducted training programs for researchers in Saudi Arabia and Africa.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I studied the SARS-CoV-2 transmission and pathology across various age groups and populations. These studies indicated the need for revised control measures and quarantine guidelines. Additionally, I investigated the factors of innate and humoral immunity that governed the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern from humans to domestic and peri-domestic animals. Furthermore, I am also conducting research on mitigating the SARS-CoV-2 infections of the immunocompromised patients in Pennsylvania with different forms of hematological cancers that do not respond to vaccines properly.