DR. ROBERT F. GARRY – NOVEMBER 17, 2021 – “SARS-COV-2 – ORIGINS, EVOLUTION, AND FUTURE”

Dr. Robert F. Garry, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He also serves in the Tulane Administration as Assistant Dean and Director of the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences. He is the program manager of  the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium (VHFC), a public-private partnership of scientists who are developing viral countermeasures against emerging viruses. He is also the Director of the Tulane Center of Excellence under the Global Viral Network. Hs team has produced point-of-care and confirmatory diagnostics based that have high sensitivity for detecting infection with several emerging viruses. They have also been investigating the natural history of emerging viruses, performing genomic analyses, and developing human monoclonal antibody therapies. A combination of human monoclonal antibodies was able to cure macaques challenged with three diverse stains of Lassa virus even when treatment was delayed for more than a week. Garry and his team are continuing structural and molecular investigations to deepen understanding of pathogenesis of emerging virus disease while providing training for West African scientists and further developing research and clinical trial infrastructure in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Other work includes an in-depth molecular analyses of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and studies on the future trajectory of the pandemic.