Neurovirology Unit
Established in 2024
Rahul K. Suryawanshi, Ph.D.
Chief, Neurovirology Unit
Tenure-Track Investigator
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Acute and post-acute neuropathies of virus infections
- Impact of genetics on disease severity
- Host-virus interactions and its effect on antiviral immunity
- Human brain and lung organoid models to study virus infection
Program Description
The Neurovirology Unit conducts research on the acute and long-term complications associated with human alphaherpesvirus infections and pulmonary infections caused by coronaviruses and influenza.
Using transgenic animal models and integrating approaches from molecular virology, neurobiology, and immunology, we investigate the mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis in the central nervous system, which particularly involves analyzing roles of immunomodulatory host factors to understand their roles in pathogenesis, neuroprotection, and potentiating antiviral immunity. While studying different aspects of antiviral immunity, we also focus on understanding the neurological regulation of antiviral immunity, neuroinflammation, and the long-term manifestations of viral infection, such as neurodegeneration and cognitive decline using machine learning-based behavioral approaches.
Additionally, the Neurovirology Unit explores the interactions between viral proteins, host factors, and immune responses that drive differential disease severity observed in humans, paving the way for innovative therapeutic strategies. We are also committed to advancing human brain and lung organoid models to recapitulate disease phenotypes in humans and thereby enhance our understanding of viral disease mechanisms.
Biography
Education
Ph.D., 2016, KBC North Maharashtra University, India
Languages Spoken
Hindi, MarathiDr. Suryawanshi earned his Ph.D. in biotechnology from KBC North Maharashtra University in India, where his research focused on evaluating microbial metabolites for their activity against human pathogens. He completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, investigating immunomodulatory host factors involved in antiviral immunity. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in early 2021, as a scientific program leader, Dr. Suryawanshi concentrated on understanding SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, exploring both the acute and long-term effects of the virus. In late 2024, he established his independent laboratory as a tenure-track investigator to further his research on virus-induced neuropathologies.
Selected Publications
Suryawanshi RK, Chen IP, Ma T, Syed AM, Brazer N, Saldhi P, Simoneau CR, Ciling A, Khalid MM, Sreekumar B, Chen PY, Kumar GR, Montano M, Gascon R, Tsou CL, Garcia-Knight MA, Sotomayor-Gonzalez A, Servellita V, Gliwa A, Nguyen J, Silva I, Milbes B, Kojima N, Hess V, Shacreaw M, Lopez L, Brobeck M, Turner F, Soveg FW, George AF, Fang X, Maishan M, Matthay M, Morris MK, Wadford D, Hanson C, Greene WC, Andino R, Spraggon L, Roan NR, Chiu CY, Doudna JA, Ott M. Limited cross-variant immunity from SARS-CoV-2 Omicron without vaccination. Nature. 2022 Jul;607(7918):351-355.
Ryu JK, Yan Z, Montano M, Sozmen EG, Dixit K, Suryawanshi RK, Matsui Y, Helmy E, Kaushal P, Makanani SK, Deerinck TJ, Meyer-Franke A, Rios Coronado PE, Trevino TN, Shin MG, Tognatta R, Liu Y, Schuck R, Le L, Miyajima H, Mendiola AS, Arun N, Guo B, Taha TY, Agrawal A, MacDonald E, Aries O, Yan A, Weaver O, Petersen MA, Meza Acevedo R, Alzamora MDPS, Thomas R, Traglia M, Kouznetsova VL, Tsigelny IF, Pico AR, Red-Horse K, Ellisman MH, Krogan NJ, Bouhaddou M, Ott M, Greene WC, Akassoglou K. Fibrin drives thromboinflammation and neuropathology in COVID-19. Nature. 2024 Sep;633(8031):905-913.
Suryawanshi RK, Patil CD, Agelidis A, Koganti R, Ames JM, Koujah L, Yadavalli T, Madavaraju K, Shantz LM, Shukla D. mTORC2 confers neuroprotection and potentiates immunity during virus infection. Nat Commun. 2021 Oct 14;12(1):6020.
Suryawanshi RK, Patil CD, Agelidis A, Koganti R, Yadavalli T, Ames JM, Borase H, Shukla D. Pathophysiology of reinfection by exogenous HSV-1 is driven by heparanase dysfunction. Sci Adv. 2023 Apr 28;9(17):eadf3977.
Suryawanshi RK, Jaishankar P, Correy GJ, Rachman MM, O'Leary PC, Taha TY, Zapatero-Belinchón FJ, McCavittMalvido M, Doruk YU, Stevens MGV, Diolaiti ME, Jogalekar MP, Richards AL, Montano M, Rosecrans J, Matthay M, Togo T, Gonciarz RL, Gopalkrishnan S, Neitz RJ, Krogan NJ, Swaney DL, Shoichet BK, Ott M, Renslo AR, Ashworth A, Fraser JS. The Mac1 ADP-ribosylhydrolase is a Therapeutic Target for SARS-CoV-2. eLife14:RP103484.
Suryawanshi R, Ott M. SARS-CoV-2 hybrid immunity: silver bullet or silver lining?. Nat Rev Immunol. 2022 Oct;22(10):591-592.