International Journal of Virology and Molecular Biology

International Journal of Virology and Molecular Biology interests in all aspects of microbiology in man and animals, especially new trends and advances. It publishes general interest reviews, mini-reviews, experimental and theoretical works and computational analyses in Virology and Molecular Biology and features Wide-ranging coverage of problems related to molecular and cell biology.

Abbas Vafai

Editorial Board Member of International Journal of Virology and Molecular Biology

Doctoral, Associate Director for Program Planning and Policy Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA

Research Areas

Subunit Viral Vaccines, Virology, Molecular Biology

Education

1985Postdoctoral FellowshipUniversity of Pennsylvania
1982Ph.DSouthern Illinois University
1975M.ScWestern Michigan University

Experience

2010-presentAssociate Director for Planning and Policy, DSR, NCEZID, CDC
1997-2010Chief, Biologics Branch, DSR, NCEZID, CDC
1993-1996President, Viro Research, Inc., Rockford, Illinois
1992-1995Assistant Director, Diagnostic Molecular and Genetic Laboratory, Dept. of Pathology, University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Rockford
1990-1997Associate Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford
1985-1990Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurology and Microbiology & Immunology, University of Colorado School of Medicine
1983-1985Postdoctoral NIH Fellow (Neurovirology), Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Academic Achievement

Invention: Varicella-Zoster Virus Subunit Vaccine (patent No 5, 829, 607) licensed to GlaxoSmithKline Phase III clinical trial began in August of 2010

Membership

NIH/ADMHA Consultant File
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Virology

Publications: Conferences/Workshops/Symposiums/Journals/Books

[1]  Bojoghli, M., A. R. Nafisi, A. Vafai, and G. Shafa. 1977. Paralytic poliomyelitis in Isfahan. J. Trop Pediatr. 23:236-238.
[2]  Vafai, A. 1977. Giemsa staining of human chromosome bands. Pahlavi Med. J. 8:94-98.
[3]  Vafai, A., and A. R. Nafisi. 1977. Isolation of polioviruses from paralyzed children in the province of Isfahan, Iran. Pahlavi Med. J. 8:318-325.
[4]  Rouhandeh, H., D. Kilpatrick, and A. Vafai. 1982. The molecular biology of Yaba tumor poxvirus: Analysis of lipids, proteins and DNA. J. Gen. Virol. 62:207-218.
[5]  Rouhandeh, H., and A. Vafai. 1982. A novel cell transformation with DNA-containing cytoplasmic Yaba tumor poxvirus. Virology 120:77-92.
[6]  Vafai, A., and H. Rouhandeh. 1982. Analysis of Yaba tumor poxvirus-induced proteins in infected cells by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Virology 120:65-76.
[7]  Gilden, D., A. Vafai, Y. Shtram, Y. Becker, M. Devlin, and M. Wellish. 1983. Varicella-zoster virus DNA in human sensory ganglia. Nature (London) 306:478-480.
[8]  Gilden, D., A. Vafai, Y. Shtram, Y. Becker, M. Devlin, and M. Wellish. 1984. Varicella-zoster virus latency in the nervous system. In: Multiple Sclerosis: Present State of Knowledge. (G. Scarlato, W.B. Matthews, eds.), Plenum Publishing Co., New York, 93-102.
[9]  Rouhandeh, H., A. Vafai, and D. Kilpatrick. 1984. The morphogenesis of Yaba monkey tumor virus in a cynomolgus monkey kidney cell line. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 86:100-105.
[10]  Vafai, A., Z. Wroblewska, M. Wellish, M. Green, and D. Gilden. 1984. Analysis of three varicella-zoster virus proteins, a 125, 000-molecular-weight protein and gp1 and gp3. J. Virol. 52:953-959.
[11]  Wroblewska, A., D. Gilden, M. Green, M. Devlin, and A. Vafai. 1985. Affinity-purified varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein gp1/gp3 stimulates the production of neutralizing antibody. J. Gen. Virol. 66:1795-1799.
[12]  Davison, A. J., C. M. Edson, R. W. Ellis, B. Forghani, D. Gilden, C. Grose, P.M. Keller, A. Vafai, Z. Wroblewska, and Y. Yamanishi. 1986. New common nomenclature for the glycoprotein genes of varicella-zoster virus and their glycosylated products. J. Virol. 52:953-959.
[13]  Vafai, A., M. Wellish, and D. Gilden. 1986. Polypeptides encoded by varicella-zoster virus unique short sequences. Virus Res. 5:67-76.
[14]  Gilden, D., A.R. Hayward, J. Krupp, M. Hunter-Laszlo, H. C. Huff, and A. Vafai. 1987. Varicella-zoster infection of human mononuclear cells. Virus Res. 7:177-129.
[15]  Gilden, D., Y. Rozenman, R. Murray, M. Devlin, and A. Vafai. 1987. Detection of varicella-zoster virus nucleic acid in neurons of normal human thoracic ganglia. Ann. Neurol. 22:337-380.
[16]  Vafai, A., M. Wellish, Z. Wroblewska, M. Cisco, and D. Gilden. 1987. Induction of antibody against in vitro translation products encoded by varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein genes. Virus Res. 7:325-333.
[17]  Cabirac, G., D. Gilden, M. Wellish, and A. Vafai. 1988. Expression of varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein I in cells infected with a vaccinia virus recombinant. Virus Res. 10:205-214.
[18]  Gilden, D., M. Devlin, M. Wellish, R. Mahalingam, C. Huff, A. Hayward, and A. Vafai. 1988. Persistence of varicella-zoster virus DNA in blood mononuclear cells of patients with varicella or zoster. Virus Genes 2:291-297.
[19]  Gilden, D., R. S. Murray, M. Wellish, B. K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, and A. Vafai. 1988. Chronic progressive varicella-zoster virus encephalitis in an AIDS patient. Neurology 38:1150-1153.
[20]  Hayward, A., M. Laszlo, A. Vafai, and D. Tedder. 1988. Non-productive infection of human newborn mononuclear cells with herpes simplex virus: Effect on T cell activation, IL2 production and proliferation. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 74:196-200.
[21]  Mahalingam, R., M. Wellish, G. Cabirac, D. Gilden, and A. Vafai. 1988. Regulation of varicella-zoster virus gene 26 translation in vitro by upstream sequences. Virus Res. 19:193-204.
[22]  Vafai, A., R. Mahalingam, M. Wellish, and D. Gilden. 1988. Detection of antibodies to varicella-zoster virus proteins in sera from the elderly. Gerontology 34:242-249.
[23]  Vafai, A., R. S. Murray, M. Wellish, M. Devlin, and D. Gilden. 1988. Expression of varicella-zoster virus and herpes simplex virus in normal human trigeminal ganglia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 85:2362-2366.
[24]  Vafai, A., M. Wellish, and D. Gilden. Expression of varicella-zoster virus in blood mononuclear cells of patients with postherpetic neuralgia. Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci. USA. 85:2767-2770.
[25]  Vafai, A., Z. Wroblewska, R. Mahalingam, G. Cabirac, M. Wellish, M. Cisco, and D. Gilden. 1988. Recognition of similar epitopes on varicella-zoster virus gpl and glV by monoclonal antibodies. J. Virol. 62:2544-2551.
[26]  Gilden, D., and A. Vafai. 1989. The neurologic complications of varicella-zoster infection. In: Handbook of Clinical Neurology. (P. J. Vinken, G. W. Bruyn, H. K. Klawans, eds.), Elsevier Biomedical Publishers, Amsterdam.
[27]  Hayward, A., M. Laszlo, and A. Vafai. 1989. Human newborn natural killer cell responses to activation by monoclonal antibodies: Effect of culture with herpes simplex virus. J. Immunol. 142:1139-1143.
[28]  Vafai, A., K. Jensen, and R. Kubo. 1989. Existence of similar antigenic-sites on varicella-zoster virus gpl and gplV. Virus Res. 13:319-336.
[29]  Vafai, A., Z. Wroblewska, and D. Gilden. 1989. Clinical and virologic aspects of varicella-zoster virus infection. In: Clinical and Molecular Aspects of Viral Illnesses of the Nervous System. (Yechiel Becker, series editor), Martinus Nijhoff Publishing, Boston.
[30]  Mahalingam, R., G. Cabirac, M. Wellish, D. Gilden, and A. Vafai. 1990. In vitro synthesis of functional varicella-zoster and herpes simple viral thymidine kinase. Virus Genes 4:101-117.
[31]  Forghani, B., R. Mahalingam, A. Vafai, J. W. Hurst, and K. W. Dupuis. 1990. Monoclonal antibodies to immediate early protein encoded by varicella-zoster virus gene 62. Virus Res. 15:195-210.
[32]  Vafai, A., Z. Wroblewska, and L. Graf. 1990. Antigenic cross-reaction between a varicella-zoster virus nucleocapsid protein encoded by gene 40 and herpes simplex virus nucleocapsid protein. Virus Res. 15:163-174.
[33]  Mahalingam, R., M. Wellish, W. Wolf, A. N. Dueland, R. Cohrs, A. Vafai, and D. Gilden. 1990. Latent varicella-zoster viral DNA in human trigeminal and thoracic ganglia. N. Engl. J. Med. 323:627-631.
[34]  Moyal, M., Y. Asher, G. Darai, A. Rosen-Wolff, A. Vafai, and Y. Becker. 1991. In vitro transcription and translation of proteins encoded by the Bam HI-B genomic fragment of herpes simplex virus-1. Virus Genes 5:133-146.
[35]  Vafai, A., and W. Yang. 1991. Neutralizing antibodies induced by recombinant vaccinia virus expressing varicella-zoster virus gplV. J. Virol. 65:5593-5596.
[36]  Somekh, E., D. G. Tedder, A. Vafai, J. G. Assouline, S. E. Straus, and M. J. Levin. 1992. Latency in vitro of varicella-zoster in cells derived from human fetal dorsal root ganglia. Pediatric Research 32:699-703.
[37]  Huang, Z., A. Vafai, J. Lee, R. Mahalingam, and A. R. Hayward. 1992. Specific lysis of targets expressing varicella-zoster virus gpl or gplV by CD4+ human T-cell clones. J. Virol. 66:2664-2669.
[38]  Vafai, A., 1993. Antigenicity of a candidate varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein subunit vaccine. Vaccine 11:937-940.
[39]  Vafai, A. 1994. Antibody-binding sites on truncated forms of varicella-zoster virus gpl (gE) glycoprotein. Vaccine 12:1264-1269.
[40]  Vafai, A. 1995. Boosting immune response with a candidate varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein subunit vaccine. Vaccine 13:1335-1338.
[41]  Vafai, A., B. Forghani, D. Kilpatrick, and V. Shankar. 2000. Stability of a varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E. epitope. Archives of Virology 145: 85-97
[42]  Vafai, A., M. Berger. 2001. Zoster in Patients Infected with HIV: A Review. The American Journal of Medical Sciences 321: 372-380
[43]  Shankar, V., S. Fisher, B. Forghani, and A. Vafai. 2001. Nucleotide sequence analysis of varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E epitope coding regions. Vaccine 19: 3830-3833
[44]  Berger, M., V. Shankar, and A. Vafai. 2002. Therapeutic Applications of Monoclonal Antibodies. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences 324: 14-30
[45]  Liu, M., L-S. Lin, H. Liu, F. Candal, and A. Vafai. 2003. Identification of animal cell cultures by PCR and DNA sequencing. In Vitro Cell Dev. Biol.-Animal 39:424-427
[46]  Tatti, K. M., P. Greer, E. White, W-J Shieh, J. Guarner, T. Ferebee-Harris, J. Bartlett, D. Ashford, A. Hoffmaster, G. Gallucci, A. Vafai, T. Popovic, and S. R. Zaki. 2006. Morphological, immunological and molecular methods to detect Bacillus anthracis in Formalin-fixed tissues. Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology. 14: 234-243
[47]  Liu, M., N. Vafai, A. Liu, H. Liu, J. He, X. Tang, and A. Vafai. 2008. Stability of varicella-zoster virus ORF 63. Archives of Virology 153: 1943-1947
[48]  Liu, M., H. Liu, X. Tang and A. Vafai. 2008. Rapid identification and authentication of closely-related mammalian cell cultures by polymerase chain reaction. In Vitro Cell Dev. Biol.-Animal 44: 224-227
[49]  Hart, J, C. Miller, X. Tang, and A. Vafai. 2009. Stability of Varicella-Zoster Virus Monoclonal Antibody. Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry 30:180-185
[50]  Vafai, A. 2009. Varicella-Zoster Virus Subunit Vaccine. The Open Vaccine Journal 2:17-27
[51]  Tang, X, J. He, J. Partin, and A. Vafai. 2010. Comparative Analysis of Direct Fluorescence, Zenon Labeling, and Quantum Dot Nanocrystal Technology in Immunofluorescence Staining. Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry, 31: 250-257
[52]  Zhong, W., J. He, X. Tang, F. Liu, X. Lu, H. Zeng, A. Vafai, T.-M. Fu, J. M. Katz and K. Hancock. 2011. Development and evaluation of an M2-293FT cell-based flow cytometric assay for quantification of antibody response to native form of matrix protein 2 of influenza A viruses. Journal of Immunological Methods 369: 115-124.