Speaking Before Congress on Critical Health Concerns
Jon Lai, Ph.D., addresses members of Congress at a special science briefing on outbreak preparedness. (View video.)In March, Jonathan Lai, Ph.D., was a panelist for a congressional science briefing on outbreak preparedness, titled “Identifying and Containing Outbreaks.” The science panel was arranged by the American Chemical Society and the Science & the Congress Project, and sought to address the need for national outbreak readiness in the wake of recent global experiences with Ebola, Legionnaire’s disease, measles and Zika, along with annual influenza concerns. The panel members discussed lessons learned that will allow for better approaches and reactions to future threats.
Dr. Lai, who is associate professor of biochemistry at Einstein, offered his insights on the unique aspects of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. He also described challenges posed by this deadly virus as well as progress on vaccines and therapies for preventing and treating future outbreaks.
Dr. Lai’s research focuses on engineering antibodies and vaccines against Ebola and other viruses. He recently published findings on a “bispecific” antibody that provided high levels of protection for mice that had been exposed to lethal doses of the two most pathogenic species of Ebola virus. Dr. Lai is currently developing antibodies and antibody cocktails aimed at neutralizing the three most dangerous Ebola virus species (Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo) as well as Marburg virus, a deadly pathogen closely related to Ebola. He plans to implement similar approaches to develop new therapies and vaccines against other global infectious diseases as well.
Posted on: Tuesday, May 17, 2016