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    Harty Laboratory

    Research Overview

    At the Harty Laboratory, we focus our research on three main areas:

    1. The molecular dynamics and biological significance of virus-host interactions during late stages of RNA virus assembly and egress.
    2. The identification and development of host-oriented therapeutics as a new class of antiviral inhibitors.
    3. The interplay between the host innate immune response and RNA virus infection.

    Our model virus systems to interrogate these topics include:

    • Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg viruses)
    • Arenaviruses (Lassa fever and Junín viruses)
    • Rhabdoviruses (VSV)
    • Retroviruses (HIV-1 and HTLV-1)
    Learm more about our research

    About Us

    • Dr. Ziying Han, Senior Research Scientist
    • Dr. Shantoshini Dash, Postdoctoral Researcher
    • Dr. Jingjing Liang, Postdoctoral Researcher 
    • Ariel Shepley-McTaggart, VMD/PhD Graduate Student, MVP Program
    • Mr. Michael P. Schwoerer, Penn Undergraduate Researcher

    Viruses go modular. Shepley-McTaggart A, Fan H, Sudol M, Harty RN. J Biol Chem. 2020 Apr 3;295(14):4604-4616. doi: 10.1074/jbc.REV119.012414. Epub 2020 Feb 28. PMID: 32111739 

    Hippo signaling pathway regulates Ebola virus transcription and egress. Liang J, Djurkovic MA, Leavitt CG, Shtanko O, Harty RN. Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 13;15(1):6953. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51356-z. PMID: 39138205

    Contrasting effects of filamin A and B proteins in modulating filovirus entry. Shepley-McTaggart A, Liang J, Ding Y, Djurkovic MA, Kriachun V, Shtanko O, Sunyer O, Harty RN. PLoS Pathog. 2023 Aug 16;19(8):e1011595. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011595. eCollection 2023 Aug.PMID: 37585478

    Micronutrients at Supplemental Levels, Tight Junctions and Epithelial Barrier Function: A Narrative Review. DiGuilio KM, Del Rio EA, Harty RN, Mullin JM. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Mar 19;25(6):3452. doi: 10.3390/ijms25063452.

    Compound FC-10696 Inhibits Egress of Marburg Virus. Han Z, Ye H, Liang J, Shepley-McTaggart A, Wrobel JE, Reitz AB, Whigham A, Kavelish KN, Saporito MS, Freedman BD, Shtanko O, Harty RN. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2021 Jun 17;65(7):e0008621. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00086-21. Epub 2021 Jun 17. PMID: 33846137 

    Ronald N. Harty

    Director, Harty Laboratory

    Ronald N. Harty, PhD

    Professor of Pathobiology and Microbiology

    View Faculty Profile

    Find Us

    University of Pennsylvania

    School of Veterinary Medicine
    3800 Spruce Street

    Philadelphia, PA 19104-4539

    Phone: (215) 573-4485
    Email: rharty@vet.upenn.edu
    Fax: (215) 898-7887
    Ebola

    Research on key host pathways has implications for Ebola and beyond

    Mortality rates from Ebola outbreaks can be as high as 90%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 55 people died in the most recent outbreak in…

    Harnessing an innate protection against Ebola

    In their evolutionary battle for survival, viruses have developed strategies to spark and perpetuate infection. Once inside a host cell, the Ebola virus, for example, hijacks molecular pathways to replicate…

    Blocking viruses’ exit strategy

    The Marburg virus, a relative of the Ebola virus, causes a serious, often-fatal hemorrhagic fever. Transmitted by the African fruit bat and by direct human-to-human contact, Marburg virus disease currently…