JEFF HOGAN
Assistant Professor
Joint Appointment with Veterinary Biosciences & Diagnostic Imaging

Infectious diseases have plagued humans and animals for thousands of years and have altered the course of history countless times. Although advances such as vaccines, therapeutics, and antibiotics have helped in this regard, recent outbreaks of disease such as SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the novel H1N1 influenza virus outbreak in 2009 highlight the fact that additional research and treatments are of great need. With this in mind, our laboratory focuses on studying the interactions of the host and pathogen. By better understanding these processes, we aim to develop novel approaches to prevent the diseases, transmission, and mortality associated with viral and bacterial infections.

Vaccination represents one of the most important public health tools available. In this regard, we are working together with Dr. Eric Lafontaine to develop protein-based vaccines against the gram-negative bacteria Burkholderia mallei (Bm) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp). These bacteria are endemic to areas near the equator including Southeast Asia and Northern Australia and can be isolated from the soil (Bp) or from an equine reservoir (Bm). Although the infections can manifest in multiple forms depending upon the route of infection, the most severe form of disease occurs during inhalation which results in pneumonia and subsequent bacteremia. The first step in this process is adherence to host cells, allowing entry of bacteria into the cytoplasm for replication and dissemination. Our approach to vaccine development for both Burkholderia mallei and pseudomallei is to target this mechanism, and we hypothesize that immune responses against bacterial proteins which facilitate binding to host cells can prevent or slow the entry of bacteria and subsequent replication. Recent data with one such candidate vaccine suggest that these bacterial adhesins are highly immunogenic and can provide protection against aerosol challenge.

While vaccines are excellent tools to protect naïve individuals, they are not generally effective for persons already infected or displaying signs of clinical disease. In this regard, our lab is also interested in the development of novel therapeutics for treatment. To address this need, we have employed a wide range of strategies including RNA interference (RNAi), random mutagenesis, and screening of chemical compound libraries to identify potentially useful treatments for SARS-CoV, influenza virus, and poxviruses. We are currently investigating the cellular genes and proteins required for SARS-CoV replication using both siRNAs and a lentiviral vector-based shRNA expression platform. To date, we have identified several cellular genes that are important in the lifecycle of SARS-CoV and influenza virus replication, and these may represent novel drug targets for intervention strategies. In order to gain a better understanding of poxvirus replication, we have made use of a custom-designed siRNA library that targets the majority of the known and predicted viral genes. These studies have led to the identification of over 17 different viral genes that are required for poxvirus replication, and given us insights into the complex replication cycle of this large DNA virus. Future studies will explore the feasibility of siRNA-mediated therapeutic use in vivo.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Search PubMed for "hogan, rj"

Uhl E, Harvey SB, Michel F, Perozo Y, Tompkins SM, Hogan RJ. Immunogenicity of Avian H5N1 Influenza Virus Recombinant Vaccines in Cats. Viral Immunology, 23:221-226, 2010.

Song JM, Hossain J, Yoo DG, Lipatov AS, Davis T, Quan FS, Chen LM, Hogan RJ, Donis RO, Compans RW, Kang SM. Protective immunity against H5N1 influenza virus by a single dose vaccination with virus-like particles. Virology, 405:165-175, 2010.

Jiang Y, Luo Y, Michel F, Hogan RJ, He Y, Fu ZF. Characterization of conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies against rabies virus nucleoprotein. Archives of Virology, 23:1187-1192, 2010.

Uhl E, Clarke T, Hogan RJ. Differential Expression of Nuclear Factor-B (NF-B) Mediates Increased Pulmonary Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a) and Virus-Induced Asthma. Viral Immunology, 22:79-89, 2009.

Raviv Y, Blumenthal R, Tompkins SM, Humberd J, Hogan RJ, Viard M.  Hydrophobic Inactivation of Influenza Viruses confers Preservation of Viral Structure with Enhanced Immunogenicity.  Journal of Virology, 82:4612-4619, 2008.

Dowling W, Thompson E, Badger C, Mellquist JL, Garrison AR, Smith JM, Paragas J, Hogan RJ, and Schmaljohn CS. The Influences of Glycosylation on the Antigenicity, Immunogenicity, and Protective Efficacy of Ebola Virus GP DNA Vaccines. Journal of Virology, 81: 1821-1837, 2007.

See RH, Zakhartchouk AN, Petric M, Lawrence  DJ, Mok CPY, Hogan RJ, Rowe T, Zitzow LA, Karunakaran KP, Hitt MM, Graham FL, Prevec L, Mahony JB, Sharon C, Auperin TC, Rini JM, Tingle AJ, Scheifele  DW, Skowronski DM, Patrick DM, Voss TG, Babiuk LA, Gauldie  J, Roper RL, Brunham RC, Finlay BB. Comparative Evaluation of Two SARS Vaccine Candidates in Mice Challenged with SARS-Coronavirus. Journal of General Virology, 87: 641-650, 2006.

Olinger GG, Bailey MA, Dye JM, Bakken R, Kuehne A, Kondig J, Wilson J, Hogan RJ, Hart MK.  Protective cytotoxic T cell epitopes induced by VEE replicons expressing Ebola virus proteins. Journal of Virology,79:14189-14196, 2005.

Rowe T, Gao G, Hogan RJ, Grant R, Bell P, Kobinger GP, Wivel N, Wilson JM.  Macaque Model for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.  Journal of Virology, 78:11401-11404, 2004.

Hogan RJ, Gao G, Rowe T, Paragas J, Bell P, Wivel N, Voss TG, Wilson JM. Resolution of primary Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus infection requires Stat1. Journal of Virology, 78:11416-11421, 2004.

Email
jhogan@uga.edu

Office
21 Riverbend
706-542-6487

Degrees
PhD, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 1998
BS, Belhaven College, 1992