Highlights
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James Earnest, an assistant professor at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, is leading聽two new聽research聽projects聽to examine how humans build an immune response to dengue and the Zika viruses over time, in聽pursuit聽of creating better preventative measures.
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Because Florida is a top international travel destination, reducing disease transmission can help the state.
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Earnest鈥檚 research is backed by subcontracts to the Uganda Virus Research Institute through Wellcome and Emory University in partnership with the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $1 million.
Nearly half of the world鈥檚 citizens live in areas with a risk of catching dengue fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the mosquito-borne illness rapidly spreads, especially in the Americas and Caribbean, a researcher is playing a crucial role in finding solutions.
James Earnest, an assistant professor at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, is leading two new research projects to examine how humans build an immune response to dengue and the Zika virus over time, in pursuit of creating better preventative measures.
Tackling a Global Problem
Both dengue and Zika are carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which has expanded its habitat from Africa to tropical, subtropical and even temperate areas worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, dengue infections in humans climbed from 505,430 in 2000 to 14.6 million in 2024, an increase of more than 2,700%.
Dengue can be asymptomatic or cause severe pain, fatigue and high fever. Repeated infections can be fatal.
Since 2017, there have been few cases of Zika recorded in the U.S., but the disease persists sporadically in Africa, the Americas and Asia. The virus鈥� biggest health concern is for pregnant women because contracting Zika can increase risks for serious congenital birth defects.
While people in Mexico and Uganda may benefit from this research, Florida鈥檚 location as a worldwide travel destination adds to the growing need for solutions. U.S. dengue cases are on the rise and have been reported in Florida, California, Texas and Hawaii. Most are related to travel. Dengue is also prevalent in Puerto Rico.
鈥淭he threat to the U.S. is growing over time. … We want to be the leaders at looking at these viruses.鈥� 鈥� James Earnest, 麻豆原创 Assistant Professor
鈥淲ith more favorable temperatures and with people traveling around the globe these days, the threat to the U.S. is growing over time,鈥� Earnest says. 鈥淚 think, especially here in Florida, the potential for these mosquitoes to live in these areas and start transmitting these diseases in the very near future is high. 麻豆原创 recognizes that this is an important avenue of research for this region, and so we want to be the leaders at looking at these viruses.鈥�
How the 麻豆原创 Research Works
Earnest鈥檚 lab is focused on how the immune system responds to mosquito-borne viruses. Before arriving at 麻豆原创 in 2024, he tracked dengue via longitudinal sampling in Mexico鈥檚 Yucatan Peninsula.
Earnest is collaborating with the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) through a five-year $970,813 subcontract, part of a larger grant awarded to UVRI from Wellcome, a London-based charitable organization that supports science to solve urgent health challenges. The project aims to study immune system and antibody responses to dengue and Zika in large cohorts of people in Uganda and in Mexico.
麻豆原创 will also collaborate with Emory University on a $578,157 grant from the National Institutes of Health, with Earnest subcontracted to Emory to study whether combining two current dengue inoculations used in Brazil gives humans better protection against repeat infections.
鈥淚t’s important that we understand what good and bad immune responses look like to these viruses.鈥� 鈥� James Earnest, 麻豆原创 Assistant Professor
鈥淚t’s important that we understand what good and bad immune responses look like to these viruses,鈥� Earnest says. 鈥淲hen we know those factors, then we can try to steer people in the right direction so that their antibodies will protect them from disease.鈥�
Earnest will coordinate with teams in other countries to regularly collect blood samples and measure antibody production to get a comprehensive look at how different people鈥檚 bodies react to dengue and Zika over time. The samples will be collected and processed in Mexico and Uganda, and Earnest will analyze the results in his lab.
鈥淚 think what’s unique about this work is that we鈥檙e following people over time and not necessarily just when they get sick,鈥� Earnest says.
His research focuses on B cells, which are white blood cells that make antibodies and help the body remember how to fight infections. By tracking how people鈥檚 B cells change over time, his team aims to understand how immune responses differ across regions.
In a related project with Emory, the lab will identify the most effective memory B cells and antibodies induced by two existing methods of inoculation for dengue, then test whether combining those methods in Brazilian trial participants produces a stronger immune response.
Students Aim to Save Lives Through Lab Work
With this new research, Earnest鈥檚 lab has welcomed two new 麻豆原创 students who have personal experience with dengue and Zika.
Maiesha Mahmood, a second-year biotechnology master鈥檚 student, is from Bangladesh, where the threat of dengue looms.
鈥淚 have been around dengue a lot growing up,鈥� Mahmood says. 鈥淚 know people who have been in hospital with severe forms of dengue, and people who’ve passed away suddenly. People become scared of mosquitos and dengue.鈥�
She says she hopes 麻豆原创鈥檚 research will someday save lives.
鈥淏ack in Bangladesh, we don’t really have a lot of facilities that can support virology research,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was a huge opportunity to be able to come here and be able to work with Dr. Earnest. I want to continue looking into these kinds of viruses and find a way to help people who keep suffering from these diseases.鈥�
叠谤耻苍辞&苍产蝉辫;笔颈苍丑别颈谤辞&苍产蝉辫;鈥�25, a first-year Ph.D. candidate, joined Earnest鈥檚 lab to further his education and hopes research will help people close to him.
鈥淢y family is from Brazil and so Zika was a very big thing for them,鈥� says Pinheiro, who earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in biotechnology 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to work on something that you can feel will impact the community that you’re a part of.鈥�
Researcher Credentials:
Earnest joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Medicine as an assistant professor in 2024. He earned his doctorate in microbiology and immunology from Loyola University Chicago in 2017. He performed postdoctoral research at Washington University in St. Louis studying antibody responses to mosquito-borne viruses and Emory University where he managed clinical field trials in Latin America.
Funding and Disclosure:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U01AI186860. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
