- Home
- Profiles


Viviana A Simon, MD, PhD
- About Me
- Education & Certifications
- Awards
- Research
- Locations
- Publications
About Me
Dr. Simon studies emerging pathogens. She has been awarded several grants from the National Institutes of Health for her investigations of HIV and has received several honors and awards for her work.
Video
Watch a video featuring the Microbiology and Virology PhD Graduate School Program.
Language
Position
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Microbiology [MIC], Pharmacology and Therapeutics Discovery [PTD]
About Me
Dr. Simon studies emerging pathogens. She has been awarded several grants from the National Institutes of Health for her investigations of HIV and has received several honors and awards for her work.
Video
Watch a video featuring the Microbiology and Virology PhD Graduate School Program.
Language
Position
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Microbiology [MIC], Pharmacology and Therapeutics Discovery [PTD]
About Me
Dr. Simon studies emerging pathogens. She has been awarded several grants from the National Institutes of Health for her investigations of HIV and has received several honors and awards for her work.
Video
Watch a video featuring the Microbiology and Virology PhD Graduate School Program.
Language
Position
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Microbiology [MIC], Pharmacology and Therapeutics Discovery [PTD]
Education
Residency, Auguste Viktoria Hospital
, The Rockefeller University
, The Rockefeller University
MD, Humboldt University
PhD, University of Rostock
Awards
2008
Sinsheimer Scholar (Alexandrine and Alexander L. Sinsheimer Fund)
Research
Specific Clinical/Research Interest:
HIV pathogenesis and host-virus interactions
Current Students: Mawuena Binka, Susan Majdak
Postdoctoral Fellows: Marcel Ooms
Research Personnel: Ariana Harari
Summary of Research Studies:
My research focuses on HIV-1 pathogenesis and viral host interactions. Complex organisms evolved both innate and adaptive immune defenses to prevent viral infection and/or dissemination. Recently,it became apparent that a group of constitutively expressed genes can efficiently restrict replication of endogenous and exogenous viruses in a species specific manner. Host cells use DNA/RNA editing enzymes as ways to curb invasion from viruses. For example, human APOBEC3G (APOlipoprotein B Editing Complex 3G) has been shown to be active against exogenous retroviruses (HIV-1, HIV-2, Foamy), endogenous mobile genetic elements (e.g., LTR retrotransposons) and DNA viruses (e.g., Hepatitis B). One of the mode of action of cytidine deaminases is one of extensive mutagenesis. The HIV-1 gene Vif effectively counters the antiretroviral activity of APOBEC3G by inducing its degradation. The nucleotide composition of the HIV-1 genome suggests, however, that protection from host-mediated viral cDNA deamination may not be absolute. We have shown that Vif alleles that fail to degrade APOBEC3G, APOBEC3F or both can be detected in vivo. We speculate that intrinsic restriction mediated by cytidine deaminases contributes to HIV-1 sequence diversification.
Locations
Publications
Recent Artifacts
- An inactivated NDV-HXP-S COVID-19 vaccine elicits a higher proportion of neutralizing antibodies in humans than mRNA vaccination
- Antigenic Landscape Analysis of Individuals Vaccinated with a Universal Influenza Virus Vaccine Candidate Reveals Induction of Cross-Subtype Immunity
- Evaluation and validation of an RT-PCR assay for specific detection of monkeypox virus (MPXV)
- Immune profiles to distinguish hospitalized versus ambulatory COVID-19 cases in older patients
- Antibodies targeting the neuraminidase active site inhibit influenza H3N2 viruses with an S245N glycosylation site
- Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Spike mutations important for infection of mice and escape from human immune sera
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccination induces mucosal antibody responses in previously infected individuals
- tRNA abundance, modification and fragmentation in nasopharyngeal swabs as biomarkers for COVID-19 severity
- Discovery and intranasal administration of a SARS-CoV-2 broadly acting neutralizing antibody with activity against multiple Omicron subvariants
- mRNA-1273 but not BNT162b2 induces antibodies against polyethylene glycol (PEG) contained in mRNA-based vaccine formulations