Rezwanul Wahid, MBBS, PhD

Ramirez K*, Wahid R*, Richardson C, Bargatze RF, El-Kamary SS , Sztein MB and Pasetti MF (*equal contributing first author). Intranasal vaccination with an adjuvanted Norwalk virus-like particle vaccine elicits antigen-specific B memory responses in human adult volunteers. Clin Immunol. 2012;144(2):98.

Wahid R, Simon R, Zafar SJ, Levine MM, Sztein MB. Live oral typhoid vaccine Ty21a induces cross reactive humoral immune responses against S. Paratyphi A and S. Paratyphi B in humans. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2012;19(6):825.

Ruiz-Perez F, Wahid R, Faherty CS, Kolappaswamy K, Rodriguez L, Santiago A, Murphy E, Cross A, Sztein MB and Nataro JP. Serine protease autotransporters from Shigella flexneri and pathogenic Escherichia coli target a broad range of leukocyte glycoproteins. PNAS. 2011;108(31):12881-6.

Simon JK, Maciel M Jr, Weld ED, Wahid R, Pasetti MF, Picking WL, Kotloff KL, Levine MM, Sztein MB. Antigen-specific IgA B memory cell responses to Shigella antigens elicited in volunteers immunized with live attenuated Shigella flexneri 2a oral vaccine candidate. Clin Immunol. 2011;139(2):185-92.

Wahid R, Pasetti MF, Maciel M Jr., Simon JK, Tacket CO, Levine MM, Sztein MB. Oral priming with Salmonella Typhi vaccine strain CVD 909 followed by parenteral boost with the S. Typhi Vi capsular polysaccharide vaccine induces CD27+ IgD- S. Typhi specific IgA and IgG B memory cells in humans. Clin Immunol. 2011;138(2):187-200.

Dr. Wahid has been working in the field of translational research for more than 18 years focusing on the human host- immune responses elicited by natural infection or immunization with various vaccines. The ultimate goal of his research is to enhance the development of novel vaccines against various diseases, by understanding various vaccine elicited immune mechanism that can be correlated with protection.  He utilizes state of the art technologies such as multi-color flow cytometry, cytokine assays, ELISA, B and T cell ELISPOT assays among others, to measure and quantify the induction of critical antigen-specific functional antibodies, as well as, multifunctional memory/effector T and B cells in volunteers following immunization with vaccines (against Salmonella, Shigella, Norovirus, Ebola etc). He is collaborating with other researchers to understand the mechanism of parasites or bacterial infections (i,e., enteropathogenic E. Coli) in evasion and modulation of host-immune responses.

Marcelo B Sztein, M.D. (PI)
Role: Co-Investigator
R01 AI36525
3/1/13-2/28/18
National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Immune mechanisms of protection in S. Typhi vaccines

• The purpose of this grant is to identify at the local and systemic levels T cell-mediated immune responses induced by oral immunization with new generation attenuated S. Typhi strains and identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that best correlate with protection.

Myron M. Levine, M.D., D.T.P.H. (PI)
Role: Co-Investigator
U19 AI109776
3/1/2014-2/28/19
NIH/NIAID  
Immunoprophylactic Strategies to Control Emerging Enteric Infections, Enteric Center for Excellence in Translation Research (Enteric CETR) Network

• The goal of this project is to develop products to prevent enteric disease caused by several important bacterial and protozoal pathogens.

Marcela F. Pasetti, Ph.D. (PI)
Role: Co-Investigator
06/26/13-10/31/16
PATH- Enteric Vaccine Initiative (EVI) DMID protocol 12-0023
Immunological evaluation of ETEC vaccine candidate dmLT

• This project involves performing immunological studies for a NIAID-supported clinical study to test the E. coli heat labile toxin double mutant dmLT as an enteric adjuvant.            

Myron M. Levine, M.D., D.T.P.H. (PI)     
Role: Co-Investigator    
GSK consortium 2015
Safety and immunogenicity study of GSK Biologicals’ investigational recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus Type 3-vectored Ebola Zaire vaccine (GSK3390107A) in children in Africa

Wilbur Chen, M.D., M.S. (RTOP PI); Karen Kotloff, M.D. (Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEU) PI)
Role: Lab Co-Investigator
DMID Protocol 14-0031
Phase I Double-Blind Placebo-Control Dose Escalating Study to Evaluate the Safety and lmmunogenicity of Double Mutant Heat-Labile Toxin L TR 192G/L211 A (dmL T) from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC by oral, sublingual, and intradermal vaccination in adults residing in an endemic area)

Marcelo Sztein, M.D. (RTOP PI); Karen Kotloff, M.D. (VETU PI)
Role: Co-Investigator   
DMID Protocol: 14-0033
VTEU Consultation and Testing of Cytokine Levels and Cell Activation in Clinical Samples