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Matthew B. Frieman, PhD

Alicia and Yaya Viral Pathogen Research Professor of Microbiology & Immunology

Academic Title:

Professor

Primary Appointment:

Microbiology and Immunology

Location:

BRB, 3-020

Phone (Primary):

410-706-2539

Education and Training

  • Washington University in St Louis, BA, Biology, 1994-1998
  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore MD, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, PhD, 1998-2004
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Ralph Baric, Department of Epidemiology/Department of Microbiology and Immunology, 2004-2009

 

Biosketch

My overall research goal is to create therapeutic interventions for viruses of public health concern by developing a detailed understanding of how the viruses interact with the host.  My research has focused on the recently emerged and highly pathogenic coronaviruses: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID19), as well as Influenza virus. The coronaviruses cause severe lung disease, are highly lethal and yet there are no FDA approved therapeutics that target them. 

Important to understanding these diseases has been our development, characterization and utilization of mouse models of disease for SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.  The rapid and successful development of these models has allowed us to unravel the cellular and physiological basis for disease of these viruses.  In addition, the creation of these models has allowed for therapeutic development of vaccines, antibodies, small molecules, novel and repurposed drugs and other therapeutics.  Critical to my research is the synergy of our in vitro and in vivo models of disease that allow us deep understandings of how these viruses work. 

Work in the lab includes the identification of host factors that effect viral replication and the use of novel yeast screening techniques to identify small molecules that inhibit those proteins for use as therapeutics.  In addition, we are identifying novel and repurposed drugs, antibodies and vaccines for Influenza virus, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 inhibition.  Combining our in vitro and in vivo systems identifies key proteins and nodes of regulation for further therapeutic targeting.

Twitter: @mattfrieman

Research/Clinical Keywords

Coronavirus, MERS, SARS, Influenza, Pathogenesis, anti-viral, therapeutics, diabetes, DPP4, lung, COVID19

Highlighted Publications

 

Weston SM, Haupt R, Logue J, Matthews KL, Frieman M. FDA approved drugs with broad anti-coronaviral activity inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. J Virol, 2020 Oct 14;94(21):e01218-20. PubMed PMID: 32817221

 

Weston S, Baracco L, Keller C, Matthews K, McGrath ME, Logue J, Liang J, Dyall J, Holbrook MR, Hensley LE, Jahrling PB, Yu W, MacKerell AD Jr, Frieman MB. The SKI complex is a broad-spectrum, host-directed antiviral drug target for coronaviruses, influenza, and filoviruses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Dec 1;117(48):30687-30698.

Schultz D, Johnson RM, Ayyanathan K, Miller J, Whig K, Kamalia B, Dittmar M, Weston S, Hammond HL, Dillen C, Castellana L, Lee JS, Li M, Lee E, Constant S, Ferrer M, Thaiss CA, Frieman MB, Cherry S. Pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors synergize with nucleoside analogs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection. bioRxiv. 2021 Jun 24;2021.06.24.449811.

Ha Tian JH, Patel N, Haupt R, Zhou H, Weston S, Hammond H, Logue J, Portnoff AD, Norton J, Guebre-Xabier M, Zhou B, Jacobson K, Maciejewski S, Khatoon R, Wisniewska M, Moffitt W, Kluepfel-Stahl S, Ekechukwu B, Papin J, Boddapati S, Jason Wong C, Piedra PA, Frieman MB, Massare MJ, Fries L, Bengtsson KL, Stertman L, Ellingsworth L, Glenn G, Smith G. SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373 immunogenicity in baboons and protection in mice. Nat Commun. 2021 Jan 14;12(1):372. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20653-8.PMID: 33446655

Pascal KE, Coleman CM, Mujica AO, Kamat V, Badithe A, Fairhurst J, Hunt C, Strein J, Berrebi A, Sisk JM, Matthews KL, Babb R, Chen G, Lai KM, Huang TT, Olson W, Yancopoulos GD, Stahl N, Frieman MB, Kyratsous CA. Pre- and postexposure efficacy of fully human antibodies against Spike protein in a novel humanized mouse model of MERS-CoV infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jul 14;112(28):8738-43. PubMed PMID: 26124093; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4507189.

Additional Publication Citations

Research Interests

Awards and Affiliations

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