Steven Varga Lab

We continue our groundbreaking work on a nanoparticle-based vaccine candidate for RSV that can be administered intranasally rather than injection, as is common with many other vaccines. An intranasal route of administration extends the vaccine’s immunity potential by creating mucosal immunity in the lungs, which increases the vaccine’s effectiveness over time and requires fewer boosters.

My laboratory’s work on respiratory viruses also explores early innate immune responses, with a particular focus on alveolar macrophages as a cellular target for viral infection. 

We also conduct research related to respiratory co-infections with influenza and SARS-CoV-2. 

In addition to our work on respiratory viruses, we have an emerging and evolving cancer immunology research program involving T-cell immunity in CD4 and CD8 responses to viruses.

Our collaborators are investigating the impact of high-dose ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, as an add-on to standard-of-care treatment in multiple cancer modalities, such as lung cancer, glioblastoma, and sarcoma. Additional work involves using cancer models to examine the chronic stimulation and exhaustion of CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. 

The breadth of our work allows us to advance the understanding of the immune response to prevalent respiratory viruses and novel vaccines. As we expand these foundational elements in our infectious disease work, we also examine how to apply our knowledge of the immune system to improve treatments for pediatric cancer patients.