Virology Core
Wing-Pui Kong, Ph.D.
Chief, Virology Core
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Development of new vaccine candidates, and new vector systems for antigen delivery
- Application of molecular biology technology to evaluate vaccine candidates
Program Description
The mission of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is to translate basic scientific knowledge into vaccine products intended for clinical use. In order to carry out the development and analysis of new vaccine candidates, the VRC has established several laboratories, including the Virology Laboratory (VL). The goal of the various laboratories at the VRC is to develop novel vaccine candidates against HIV-1, influenza, and other emerging infectious diseases. The mission of the VL centers on understanding the cellular and molecular regulation of viral gene expression, entry into the cell, and correlates of immune protection, with the goal of developing safe and effective vaccines. The major areas of investigation involve HIV, influenza, and emerging viruses.
The Virology Core is a part of the Virology Laboratory and delivers services and expertise critical to the success of the research at the VRC. One approach toward achieving this goal is to design vaccine candidates including vectors and inserts that function as gene-based and protein-based immunogens to elicit cellular/humoral immune responses. The Virology Core provides investigators with DNA vectors, viral-based vectors including adenoviral vectors, lentiviral vectors, and alternative Ad vectors and recombinant proteins for basic research, vaccine applications, and crystallographic studies of vaccine candidates, preclinical studies, and clinical trials. The Virology Core also designs and examines the various vaccine delivery routes and vaccination platforms to enhance the immune responses.
A major focus of the Virology Core is the generation of new platforms for vaccine development. The VRC has increased the number of vaccine development platforms. In addition to HIV, there is substantial focus on influenza, chikungunya, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Ebola, and other infectious diseases.
For more information on research conducted by Dr. Wing-Pui Kong, visit the Virology Laboratory.
Biography
Education
Ph.D., 1993, The University of Chicago, ILDr. Kong received his Ph.D. in 1993 in virology at the University of Chicago, where he studied the molecular pathogenesis of picornaviruses, a class of viruses that contribute to the development of central nervous system disease. He made significant contributions to the elucidation of the mechanism by which these viruses induce disease. Dr. Kong then completed a postdoctoral fellowship and subsequently held a research investigator faculty appointment in Dr. Gary Nabel’s laboratory at the University of Michigan prior to beginning his employment at the VRC. At the University of Michigan, Dr. Kong’s work helped to better understand the role of NF-kB in selectively regulating gene expression in differentiation and development. He also collaborated with other members of the lab on research related to human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), which is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Dr. Kong has a proven record of accomplishment in high-visibility and high-impact VRC vaccine development efforts. As chief of the Virology Core, Dr. Kong is responsible for advancing research on the development of new vaccine candidates and new vector systems for antigen delivery, overseeing all aspects of molecular biology related to viral vector construction and development, and evaluation of vaccine candidates for their effectiveness in inducing potent and broad immune responses in different animal models. An essential part of his position is that he communicates with multiple users, including scientists from the VL, Structural Biology Section, Humoral Immunology Core, Immunology Core, and Nonhuman Primate Immunogenicity Core.
Selected Publications
Pegu A, Lovelace SE, DeMouth ME, Cully MD, Morris DJ, Li Y, Wang K, Schmidt SD, Choe M, Liu C, Chen X, Viox E, Rowshan A, Taft JD, Zhang B, Xu K, Duan H, Ou L, Todd JP, Kong R, Li H, Shaw GM, Doria-Rose NA, Kwong PD, Koup RA, Mascola JR. Antibodies targeting the fusion peptide on the HIV envelope provide protection to rhesus macaques against mucosal SHIV challenge. Sci Transl Med. 2024 Jan 17;16(730). Download the PDF of the article.
Corbett KS, Edwards DK, Leist SR, Abiona OM, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Gillespie RA, Himansu S, Schäfer A, Ziwawo CT, DiPiazza AT, Dinnon KH, Elbashir SM, Shaw CA, Woods A, Fritch EJ, Martinez DR, Bock KW, Minai M, Nagata BM, Hutchinson GB, Wu K, Henry C, Bahl K, Garcia-Dominguez D, Ma L, Renzi I, Kong WP, Schmidt SD, Wang L, Zhang Y, Phung E, Chang LA, Loomis RJ, Altaras NE, Narayanan E, Metkar M, Presnyak V, Liu C, Louder MK, Shi W, Leung K, Yang ES, West A, Gully KL, Stevens LJ, Wang N, Wrapp D, Doria-Rose NA, Stewart-Jones G, Bennett H, Alvarado GS, Nason MC, Ruckwardt TJ, McLellan JS, Denison MR, Chappell JD, Moore IN, Morabito KM, Mascola JR, Baric RS, Carfi A, Graham BS. SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness. Nature. 2020 Oct;586(7830):567-571.
Corbett KS, Flynn B, Foulds KE, Francica JR, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Werner AP, Flach B, O'Connell S, Bock KW, Minai M, Nagata BM, Andersen H, Martinez DR, Noe AT, Douek N, Donaldson MM, Nji NN, Alvarado GS, Edwards DK, Flebbe DR, Lamb E, Doria-Rose NA, Lin BC, Louder MK, O'Dell S, Schmidt SD, Phung E, Chang LA, Yap C, Todd JM, Pessaint L, Van Ry A, Browne S, Greenhouse J, Putman-Taylor T, Strasbaugh A, Campbell TA, Cook A, Dodson A, Steingrebe K, Shi W, Zhang Y, Abiona OM, Wang L, Pegu A, Yang ES, Leung K, Zhou T, Teng IT, Widge A, Gordon I, Novik L, Gillespie RA, Loomis RJ, Moliva JI, Stewart-Jones G, Himansu S, Kong WP, Nason MC, Morabito KM, Ruckwardt TJ, Ledgerwood JE, Gaudinski MR, Kwong PD, Mascola JR, Carfi A, Lewis MG, Baric RS, McDermott A, Moore IN, Sullivan NJ, Roederer M, Seder RA, Graham BS. Evaluation of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Nonhuman Primates. N Engl J Med. 2020 Oct 15;383(16):1544-1555.
Maciejewski S, Ruckwardt TJ, Morabito KM, Foreman BM, Burgomaster KE, Gordon DN, Pelc RS, DeMaso CR, Ko SY, Fisher BE, Yang ES, Nair D, Foulds KE, Todd JP, Kong WP, Roy V, Aleshnick M, Speer SD, Bourne N, Barrett AD, Nason MC, Roederer M, Gaudinski MR, Chen GL, Dowd KA, Ledgerwood JE, Alter G, Mascola JR, Graham BS, Pierson TC. Distinct neutralizing antibody correlates of protection among related Zika virus vaccines identify a role for antibody quality. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Jun 10;12(547):eaaw9066.
Ou L, Kong WP, Chuang GY, Ghosh M, Gulla K, O'Dell S, Varriale J, Barefoot N, Changela A, Chao CW, Cheng C, Druz A, Kong R, McKee K, Rawi R, Sarfo EK, Schön A, Shaddeau A, Tsybovsky Y, Verardi R, Wang S, Wanninger TG, Xu K, Yang GJ, Zhang B, Zhang Y, Zhou T; VRC Production Program, Arnold FJ, Doria-Rose NA, Lei QP, Ryan ET, Vann WF, Mascola JR, Kwong PD. Preclinical Development of a Fusion Peptide Conjugate as an HIV Vaccine Immunogen. Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 20;10(1):3032.
Ko SY, Akahata W, Yang ES, Kong WP, Burke CW, Honnold SP, Nichols DK, Huang YS, Schieber GL, Carlton K, DaSilva L, Traina-Dorge V, Vanlandingham DL, Tsybovsky Y, Stephens T, Baxa U, Higgs S, Roy CJ, Glass PJ, Mascola JR, Nabel GJ, Rao SS. A virus-like particle vaccine prevents equine encephalitis virus infection in nonhuman primates. Sci Transl Med. 2019 May 15;11(492):eaav3113.
Stewart-Jones GBE, Chuang GY, Xu K, Zhou T, Acharya P, Tsybovsky Y, Ou L, Zhang B, Fernandez-Rodriguez B, Gilardi V, Silacci-Fregni C, Beltramello M, Baxa U, Druz A, Kong WP, Thomas PV, Yang Y, Foulds KE, Todd JP, Wei H, Salazar AM, Scorpio DG, Carragher B, Potter CS, Corti D, Mascola JR, Lanzavecchia A, Kwong PD. Structure-based design of a quadrivalent fusion glycoprotein vaccine for human parainfluenza virus types 1-4. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Nov 27;115(48):12265-12270.
Research Group
The Virology Core is committed to developing new vaccine candidates and new vaccine vector systems for antigen delivery against human pathogens. The Virology Core also applies and develops new molecular biology technology to evaluate vaccine candidates to facilitate vaccine development.