Jason E. Comer Lab - LSU Health Shreveport

Dr. Jason Comer is a man with ruddy complexion, bald, grey beard and moustache, smiling, wearing glasses and a lab coat over a blue shirt

Jason E. Comer, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr. Richard J. Courtney Endowed Professor in Virology
Director, BSL-3 Research Facility

Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT. 2008

PhD, Experimental Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. 2006
MS, Biology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. 2001
BA, Biology, Washington and Jefferson, Washington, PA. 1997

Research

Area of Research

My laboratory studies North American arenaviruses, (Whitewater Arroyo virus, Bear Canyon virus and Tamiami virus) as well as other bunyaviruses including Lone Star virus and Potosi virus. Our research focuses on developing and characterizing in vitro and in vivo models that we use to study viral replication, pathogenesis, and host-virus interactions. These models are used to characterize the pathophysiological relationship between the host and the pathogen as well as identify virulence factors important for pathogenesis. The identified virulence factors provide targets for the development of medical countermeasures against infection.

Publications

Selected Publications

Morello CS, Anantha R, Comer JE, Mendy J, Tindale LC, Richardson JS, Guenther B, Ho N, Cirimotich CM, Childs O'Connor C, Anderson DM, Bedell L, Warfield KL, Vang L. Passive transfer of human sera from chikungunya virus virus-like particle vaccine (Vimkunya) recipients fully protects non-human primates from viremia. NPJ Vaccines. 2026 Jan 6. doi: 10.1038/s41541-025-01360-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41495081.
Adam A, Woolsey C, Lu H, Plante K, Wallace SM, Rodriguez L, Shinde DP, Cui Y, Franz AWE, Thangamani S, Comer JE, Weaver SC, Wang T. A safe insect-based chikungunya fever vaccine affords rapid and durable protection in cynomolgus macaques. NPJ Vaccines. 2024 Dec 19;9(1):251. doi: 10.1038/s41541-024-01047-z. PMID: 39702442; PMCID: PMC11659317.
Wanninger TG, Saldarriaga OA, Arroyave E, Millian DE, Comer JE, Paessler S, Stevenson HL. Hepatic and pulmonary macrophage activity in a mucosal challenge model of Ebola virus disease. Front Immunol. 2024 Nov 20;15:1439971. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1439971. PMID: 39635525; PMCID: PMC11615675.
Johnson DM, Juelich T, Zhang L, Smith JK, Kalveram BK, Perez D, Smith J, Grimes MR, Garron T, Torres M, Massey S, Brasel T, Beasley DWC, Freiberg AN, Comer JE. Comparison of Routes of Administration, Frequency, and Duration of Favipiravir Treatment in Mouse and Guinea Pig Models of Ebola Virus Disease. Viruses. 2024 Jul 9;16(7):1101. doi: 10.3390/v16071101. PMID: 39066263; PMCID: PMC11281331.
Johnson DM, Khakhum N, Wang M, Warner NL, Jokinen JD, Comer JE, Lukashevich IS. Pathogenic and Apathogenic Strains of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Have Distinct Entry and Innate Immune Activation Pathways. Viruses. 2024; 16(4):635. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040635
Wanninger T, Saldarriaga OA, Millian DE, Comer JE, Khanipov K, Golovko G, Paessler S, Stevenson HL. Identification of potential targets for immunotherapy in a cynomolgus macaque model of Ebola virus disease. J Clin Transl Sci. 2023 Apr 24;7(Suppl 1):111. doi: 10.1017/cts.2023.411. PMCID: PMC10129608.
Prasad AN, Agans KN, Geisbert JB, Borisevich V, Deer DJ, Dobias NS, Comer JE, Woolsey C, Fenton KA, Geisbert TW, Cross RW. Natural history of nonhuman primates after oral exposure to Ebola virus variant Makona. J Infect Dis. 2023 Jun 22:jiad225. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiad225. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37348509.
Prasad AN, Fenton KA, Agans KN, Borisevich V, Woolsey C, Comer JE, Dobias NS, Peel JE, Deer DJ, Geisbert JB, Lawrence WS, Cross RW, Geisbert TW. Pathogenesis of aerosolized Ebola virus variant Makona in nonhuman primates. J Infect Dis. 2023 May 5:jiad137. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiad137. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37145930.
Johnson DM, Brasel T, Massey S, Smith J, Wallace S, Yu X, Beasley DW, Comer JE. Characterization of Ebola Virus Mucosal Challenge Routes in Cynomolgus Macaques. J Virol. 2023 Mar 28:e0188822. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01888-22. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36975793.
Kammanadiminti S, Comer J, Meister G, Carnelley T, Toth D, Kodihalli S. Efficacy of ANTHRASIL (Anthrax Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)) in rabbit and nonhuman primate models of inhalational anthrax: Data supporting approval under animal rule. PLoS One. 2023 Mar 17;18(3):e0283164. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283164. PMID: 36930692; PMCID: PMC10022752.
Cross RW, Prasad AN, Woolsey CB, Agans KN, Borisevich V, Dobias NS, Comer JE, Deer DJ, Geisbert JB, Rasmussen AL, Lipkin WI, Fenton KA, Geisbert TW. Natural history of nonhuman primates after conjunctival exposure to Ebola virus. Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 13;13(1):4175. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31027-7. PMID: 36914721.
Bluemling GR, Mao S, Natchus MG, Painter W, Mulangu S, Lockwood M, De La Rosa A, Brasel T, Comer JE, Freiberg AN, Kolykhalov AA, Painter GR. The prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of the broadly active antiviral ribonucleoside N⁴-Hydroxycytidine (EIDD-1931) in a mouse model of lethal Ebola virus infection. Antiviral Res. 2023 Jan;209:105453. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105453. Epub 2022 Nov 13. PMID: 36379378.
Johnson DM, Brasel T, Massey S, Garron T, Grimes M, Smith J, Torres M, Wallace S, Villasante-Tezanos A, Beasley DW, Comer JE. Evaluation of molnupiravir (EIDD-2801) efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in the rhesus macaque model. Antiviral Res. 2022 Dec 16:105492. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105492. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36535309; PMCID: PMC9756747.
Comer JE, Brasel T, Massey S, Beasley DW, Cirimotich CM, Sanford DC, Chou YL, Niemuth NA, Novak J, Sabourin CL, Merchlinsky M, Long JP, Stavale EJ, Wolfe DN. Natural History of Marburg Virus Infection to Support Medical Countermeasure Development. Viruses. 2022 Oct 18;14(10):2291. doi: 10.3390/v14102291. PMID: 36298846; PMCID: PMC9607268.
Escaffre O, Juelich TL, Neef N, Massey S, Smith J, Brasel T, Smith JK, Kalveram B, Zhang L, Perez D, Ikegami T, Freiberg AN, Comer JE. STAT-1 Knockout Mice as a Model for Wild-Type Sudan Virus (SUDV). Viruses. 2021 Jul 17;13(7):1388. doi: 10.3390/v13071388. PMID: 34372594.
Chan CEZ, Seah SGK, Chye H, Massey S, Torres M, Lim APC, Wong SKK, Neo JJY, Wong PS, Lim JH, Loh GSL, Wang D, Boyd-Kirkup JD, Guan S, Thakkar D, Teo GH, Purushotorman K, Hutchinson PE, Young BE, Low JG, MacAry PA, Hentze H, Prativadibhayankara VS, Ethirajulu K, Comer JE, Tseng CK, Barrett ADT, Ingram PJ, Brasel T, Hanson BJ. The Fc-mediated effector functions of a potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, SC31, isolated from an early convalescent COVID-19 patient, are essential for the optimal therapeutic efficacy of the antibody. PLoS One. 2021;16(6):e0253487. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253487. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 34161386.
Niemuth NA, Fallacara D, Triplett CA, Tamrakar SM, Rajbhandari A, Florence C, Ward L, Griffiths A, Carrion R Jr, Goez-Gazi Y, Alfson KJ, Staples HM, Brasel T, Comer JE, Massey S, Smith J, Kocsis A, Lowry J, Johnston SC, Nalca A, Goff AJ, Shurtleff AC, Pitt ML, Trefry J, Fay MP. Natural history of disease in cynomolgus monkeys exposed to Ebola virus Kikwit strain demonstrates the reliability of this non-human primate model for Ebola virus disease. PLoS One. 2021 Jul 2;16(7):e0252874. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252874. PMID: 34214118.
Harris PE, Brasel T, Massey C, Herst CV, Burkholz S, Lloyd P, Blankenberg T, Bey TM, Carback R, Hodge T, Ciotlos S, Wang L, Comer JE, Rubsamen RM. A Synthetic Peptide CTL Vaccine Targeting Nucleocapsid Confers Protection from SARS-CoV-2 Challenge in Rhesus Macaques. Vaccines (Basel). 2021 May 18;9(5):520. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9050520. PMID: 34070152; PMCID: PMC8158516.
Liu Y, Garron TM, Chang Q, Su Z, Zhou C, Qiu Y, Gong EC, Zheng J, Yin YW, Ksiazek T, Brasel T, Jin Y, Boor P, Comer JE, Gong B. Cell-Type Apoptosis in Lung during SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Pathogens. 2021 Apr 23;10(5):509. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10050509. PMID: 33922476; PMCID: PMC8145065.
Brasel T, Comer JE, Massey S, Smith J, Smith J, Hyde M, Kocsis A, Gainey M, Niemuth N, Triplett C, Rudge T Jr. Mucosal Challenge Ferret Models of Ebola Virus Disease. Pathogens. 2021 Mar 4;10(3):292. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10030292. PMID: 33806375.