Michael A. Jarvis

My research program is focused on aspects of cytomegalovirus (CMV) biology, including: viral biogenesis, pathogenesis and cellular tropism.  Many of these studies use 'state-of-the-art' bacterial artificial chromosome and lambda-based linear recombination technology mutagenesis.  I am also keenly interested in the use of CMV as a recombinant vaccine vector.  CMV has a number of characteristics that make this virus an ideal vaccine vector candidate, including induction of high levels of virus-specific T cell immunity, a large carrying capacity for heterologous target antigens, and a striking ability to infect the host regardless of CMV immune status.  In a series of collaborative studies, I am investigating the ability of CMV vectors to induce protective immunity to chronic (simian immunodeficiency virus) and acute viruses (Ebola, monkeypox, poliovirus, influenza), bacteria (tetanus and tuberculosis), as well as cancer (prostate cancer).  The capacity of CMV to establish a persistent infection is believed to be a major factor in induction of the high level of characteristic T cell immunity directed against the virus (and heterologous expressed target antigens).  A final area of interest is mechanisms by which this virus manipulates the cellular environment to persist within the host.  Specifically, I am interested in the role of virus-mediated modulation of the innate immune response in establishment of virus persistence.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Jarvis received his BA in biology, cum laude, from Sonoma State University, California in 1987.  After post-graduate studies performed in the Department of Biochemistry at Trinity Hall in the University of Cambridge, England, Dr Jarvis attained his MA and PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Cailfornia at Davis in 1996.  Dr Jarvis performed his post-doctoral studies at OHSU, where he currently holds a joint position as an Assistant Professor at the VGTI and in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.  

Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art.

-Paul Gauguin

KEY PUBLICATIONS 

1.  A novel Cre recombinase imaging system for tracking lymphotropic virus infection in vivo. Dutia BM, Reid SJ, Drummond DD, Ligertwood Y, Bennet I, Rietberg W, Silvia O, Jarvis MA, Nash AA. PLos One. 2009 4:e6492.

2.  Effector memory T cell responses are associated with protection of rhesus monkeys from mucosal simian immunodeficiency virus challenge.  Hansen SG, Vieville C, Whizin N, Coyne-Johnson L, Siess DC, Drummond DD, Legasse AW, Axthelm MK, Oswald K, Trubey CM, Piatak M Jr, Lifson JD, Nelson JA, Jarvis MA, Picker LJ.  Nat Med. 2009 15:293.

3.  Human cytomegalovirus tropism for endothelial cells: not all endothelial cells are created equal. Jarvis MA, Nelson JA. J Virol. 2007 81:2095.

4.  Human cytomegalovirus attenuates interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha proinflammatory signaling by inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. Jarvis MA, Borton JA, Keech AM, Wong J, Britt WJ, Magun BE, Nelson JA.  J Virol. 2006 80:5588.