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Dr. Jay Hooper, Ph.D. is Chief, Molecular Virology Branch, at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ( USAMRIID - https://usamriid.health.mil/ ) where his research is aimed at the discovery and development of medical countermeasures targeting exotic viral diseases of military importance including hemorrhagic fever caused by hantaviruses, arenaviruses, filoviruses (e.g., Ebola virus), and diseases caused by poxviruses (e.g., smallpox and monkeypox).

Dr. Hooper’s discoveries include one of the world’s most potent monoclonal antibodies targeting smallpox (7D11), and the first practical lethal disease animal model for a hantavirus (Andes virus in Syrian hamsters).

Dr. Hooper is an expert in DNA vaccine technology and the use of this technology to develop both active vaccines and passive (antibody-based) medical countermeasures, and is the lead scientist in an effort that has resulted in multiple hantavirus DNA vaccines moving into Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

To expedite medical countermeasure research, Dr. Hooper’s group established a pseudovirion neutralization assay capability which has been used to support the rapid development of candidate antibody-based products and vaccines, including candidate Ebola virus vaccines.

During the COVID-19 outbreak Dr. Hooper led an effort to establish rodent animal models to discover and advance medical countermeasures targeting COVID-19. That work resulted in among the first publications on the use of the Syrian hamster model, and human ACE2 mouse model, to evaluate medical countermeasures. These models were then used to advance vaccines and antibody treatments, including Operation Warp Speed-funded research.

Dr. Hooper’s is currently collaborating with industrial partners to develop future generation vaccines and antibodies to combat monkeypox.

Dr. Hooper has a Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University and a BA in Biology from Colby College.

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