The Ollmann Saphire Laboratory is driven by a commitment to transform our understanding of emerging infectious diseases and accelerate the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Our work has delivered landmark structural insights into viral envelope glycoproteins from Ebola, Marburg, Bundibugyo, Lassa, rabies virus, herpesviruses like CMV, and Human Endogenous Retroviruses, revealing how these pathogens enter cells, evade immunity, and can be targeted by medical countermeasures. We have also discovered and characterized some of the first human antibodies with broad activity against filoviruses, as well as novel human antibody responses to Measles virus and HERV-K. These discoveries provide a foundation for the rational design of next-generation vaccines and antibody therapies.
Another focus of the laboratory is uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern viral assembly, maturation, and transmission. By pioneering the application of cryo-electron tomography and other advanced structural approaches, we have revealed how viruses such as Ebola and measles are built within infected cells and how their architecture shapes infection and immune recognition.
Our impact extends beyond the laboratory bench. Through leadership of international research consortia and rapid-response scientific networks, we helped establish and coordinate antibody discovery, characterization, and data-sharing pipelines that accelerated countermeasure development during outbreaks of Ebola, Lassa fever, and SARS-CoV-2. These collaborative efforts have enabled scientists around the world to move faster from discovery to intervention.
Today, we integrate cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography, X-ray crystallography, virology, immunology, biochemistry, and biophysics to understand the dynamic interface between host and pathogen. By combining multidisciplinary expertise with global collaboration, we seek to reveal fundamental mechanisms of immunity and infection while advancing vaccines and antibody-based therapies that improve human health worldwide.
