HIV Immunovirology Section
Jana Blazkova, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, HIV Immunovirology Section
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Mechanisms of viral persistence in HIV-infected individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy
- Dynamics of immunologic and virologic parameters in HIV infection
- Therapeutic strategies aiming at achieving sustained virologic control of HIV infection
Program Description
Our research program focuses on delineation of the mechanism by which HIV persists in infected individuals receiving clinically effective antiretroviral therapy. We utilize a variety of highly sensitive cellular and molecular assays to examine the dynamics of HIV burden in subsets of CD4+ T cells and immune cells that mediate virologic control in infected individuals. We also conduct phase I clinical trials to develop safe and effective therapeutic strategies for control of HIV infection in HIV-infected individuals in the absence of daily antiretroviral drugs.
Biography
Education
Ph.D., Mediterranean University of Aix-Marseille II, France
Dr. Blazkova received her Ph.D. in Immunology at the Mediterranean University of Aix-Marseille II, France in 2006. Afterwards she conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague. In 2010, Dr. Blazkova joined the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at NIAID as a Visiting Fellow. In 2015, she worked at the Systems Biology Department, Division of Translational Medicine, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar, for one year as a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow. In 2016, Dr. Blazkova returned to the NIAID and was appointed as a Staff Scientist in the HIV Immunovirology section, LIR.
Selected Publications
Blazkova J, Gao F, Marichannegowda MH, Justement JS, Shi V, Whitehead EJ, Schneck RF, Huiting ED, Gittens K, Cottrell M, Benko E, Kovacs C, Lack J, Sneller MC, Moir S, Fauci AS, Chun TW. Distinct mechanisms of long-term virologic control in two HIV-infected individuals after treatment interruption of anti-retroviral therapy. Nat Med. 2021 Nov;27(11):1893-1898.
Blazkova J, Huiting ED, Boddapati AK, Shi V, Whitehead EJ, Justement JS, Nordstrom JL, Moir S, Lack J, Chun TW. Correlation Between TIGIT Expression on CD8+ T Cells and Higher Cytotoxic Capacity. J Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 16;224(9):1599-1604.
Blazkova J, Refsland EW, Clarridge KE, Shi V, Justement JS, Huiting ED, Gittens KR, Chen X, Schmidt SD, Liu C, Doria-Rose N, Mascola JR, Heredia A, Moir S, Chun TW. Glycan-dependent HIV-specific neutralizing antibodies bind to cells of uninfected individuals. J Clin Invest. 2019 Nov 1;129(11):4832-4837.
Wang CY, Wong WW, Tsai HC, Chen YH, Kuo BS, Lynn S, Blazkova J, Clarridge KE, Su HW, Lin CY, Tseng FC, Lai A, Yang FH, Lin CH, Tseng W, Lin HY, Finstad CL, Wong-Staal F, Hanson CV, Chun TW, Liao MJ. Effect of Anti-CD4 Antibody UB-421 on HIV-1 Rebound after Treatment Interruption. N Engl J Med. 2019 Apr 18;380(16):1535-1545.