Asit Pattnaik

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Asit Pattnaik

Professor School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
MOLR 109
Lincoln NE 68583-0900
Phone
402-472-1067 On-campus 2-1067
Email
apattnaik2@unl.edu
Website

Studies in the Pattnaik Laboratory focus on molecular biology of replication, host cell responses, and immunopathogenesis of human and animal RNA viruses. The laboratory is also involved in studies towards development of vaccines and antivirals against viral pathogens.

Using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a model non-segmented negative-strand RNA virus, we have been studying the mechanisms of viral genome replication and gene expression and the role of host cell functions in regulating these processes.

With the use of an infectious cDNA clone of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) developed in our laboratory, we also address questions related to replication and pathogenesis of this economically important swine pathogen. These studies along with other ongoing studies in our laboratory position us to generate second generation differential PRRSV vaccines by reverse genetic methods.

Following the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the recent past, our research focus has been on understanding the immunopathogenic mechanisms of this virus. Using infectious cDNA clone of the virus developed in our laboratory, we study the determinants of ZIKV neuroinvasion and virulence, the role of host cell signaling as well as metabolic pathways that regulate the virus replication. Additionally, current attempts are directed at developing antivirals and vaccine candidates for ZIKV using several different approaches.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Molecular Virology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 1984
  • M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India, 1978

Professional Responsibilities and Activities

  • 2005-Present: Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE.
  • 2021-Present, Adjunct Scientist/Professor, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India.
  • 11/2002-2005: Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE.
  • 1999-2002: Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL.
  • 10/1992-5/1999: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL.
  • 1987-1992: Research Associate, Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, AL
  • 1984-1987: Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA.

Publications

Complete List of Published Work can be found in NCBI Pub Med and Google Scholar.

Grants

  • Current Support:

    USDA Animal Health
    Pattnaik (PI) 01/10/2019-30/10/2024
    An Innovative Vaccine Platform for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Based on Ferritin Nanocages. The overall goal of this project is to generate vaccines against PRRSV .

    USDA Animal Health
    Pattnaik (PI) 01/10/2021-30/10/2024
    A Novel for Developing Vaccines Against Swine Pathogens: PRRSV and PEDV The overall goal of this project is to generate vaccines against PRRSV and PEDV using Protein Nanocages and Platforms
  • Completed Research Support:

    USDA-NIFA-AFRI 2013-01035
    Osorio (PI)
    09/01/2013-08/31/2017
    Molecular Structures of PRRSV that Contribute to Protective Immunity. The overall goal of this project is to examine the role of the viral glycoproteins in inducing neutralizing antibody response in infected pigs.
    Role: Co-PI

    USDA-NIFA-AFRI, 2012-67015-30191
    Pattnaik (PI)
    01/01/2012-12/31/2015
    Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus: Modulation of Innate and Acquired Immune Response The overall goal of this project is to recover PRRSVs encoding mutations with the non-structural proteins and examine in vitro and in vivo characteristics with regard to innate and acquired immune response.

Awards and Honors

  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR, India) Fellowship, 1978-1980, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India,  1978-1980
  • Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 1980-1983
  • The Stanley Glaser Research Foundation Award, University of Miami, 1993
  • Honored for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Molecular Virology, Recipient of J. B. Haldane Memorial Award, KIIT University, INDIA, 2013
  • Recipient of the Breakthrough Innovation of the Year Award, for Development of PRRSV Vaccine, 2015
  • Guest Lecturer for a minicourse on “Vaccines Against Human Viral Pathogens”, Sponsored by the Government of India through the Global Initiative in Academic Network (GIAN) Program, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, India, July 2018
  • Foreign Faculty Member at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India for the Visiting Joint Advanced Research Scheme of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, 2022

Patents

  • Methods of treating or preventing Zika virus infection
    SH Xiang, N Palermo, AK Pattnaik
    US Patent 11,135,219
     
  • Non-naturally occurring porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and methods of using HLX Vu
    F Osorio, WW Laegreid, AK Pattnaik, F Ma
    US Patent 10,738,088

Professional Society Memberships

  • American Society for Microbiology
  • American Society for Virology
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Society for General Microbiology, United Kingdom