Heinz Feldmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Virology
Chief, Disease Modeling and Transmission Section
Senior Investigator
Disease Modeling and Transmission Section
Dr. Feldmann is chief of the new RML Laboratory of Virology and Chief Scientist of the RML BSL-4 laboratories. He has nearly 20 years of experience working in BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories in four different locations. As an adviser to the World Health Organization, Dr. Feldmann has been part of field research and outbreak management teams studying emerging viral infections throughout the world.
Dr. Feldmann most recently started and oversaw the special pathogens program for the Public Health Agency of Canada in Winnipeg, where he spent 10 years. He trained in BSL-4 laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta before leaving to start a BSL-4 program in his hometown of Marburg, Germany. He graduated from medical school at the University of Giessen in Germany and obtained his training in virology at the University of Marburg.
His expertise is in filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses, but he also has worked with SARS, influenza and an array of other viruses.
He and his group will study the lifecycle of emerging viral pathogens with an aim of developing treatments, diagnostic tests and vaccines to prevent the spread of disease.
Description of Research Program
The disease modeling and transmission section focuses on the lifecycle of certain viral pathogens that are likely to cause serious or lethal human disease for which preventive or therapeutic interventions are not usually available. The research objective is to learn how to interfere with the lifecycle of the virus and identify targets – such as the inclusion or exclusion of certain proteins – that could be used to stop the spread of disease.
To identify these targets, scientists must first understand the mechanisms the viruses use to survive, invade a host entity, and replicate in the host, all while evading host immune defenses designed to kill the virus. Developing a detailed understanding of these mechanisms and pathogen-host interactions is crucial to identifying targets for pathogenesis intervention.
Once scientists understand pathogen-host interactions and have identified potential targets for intervention, then they can begin focusing on therapeutics to stop the spread of infection, vaccines to prevent infection, and diagnostic tools to help physicians and researchers more quickly identify pathogen types and strains. As an example of this work in practice, while in Winnipeg, Dr. Feldmann was part of a team that developed a mobile diagnostic procedure that quickly detects 10 types of hemorrhagic fever viruses, such as Ebola and Marburg, from remote locations.
Major Areas of Research:
- Emerging viral pathogens
- Viral hemorrhagic fever
- Pathogenesis
- Vaccine development
Lab group members:
Heinz Feldmann, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Laboratory of Virology
Hideki Ebihara, Ph.D., Staff Scientist
Barry Rockx, Ph.D., Research Fellow
Andrea Marzi, Ph.D., Post-Doc IRTA
David Safronetz, Ph.D., Post-Doc IRTA
Jessica Levine, Pre-Doc IRTA
Anthony York, Post-Bac
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