The research has focused on understanding the immunopathogenesis of chronic persistent virus infections in humans with a focus on two socially important virus infections, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) infection, both are almost certain to supersede small pox infection in terms of global human morbidity and mortality. The research explores host and parasite (evasion) immunologic mechanisms that lead to viral persistence with the goal of defining new immunotherapies and vaccines in HIV and HCV infection. The work is translational and utilizes human clinical samples at the bedside from individuals who are well characterized in terms of their ability to control virus and associated pathology (CD4 count for HIV, chronic hepatitis for HCV), which are then intensively studied at the bench using the disciplines of cellular and molecular immunology and virology.

Selected publications:

1. Mujib S, Liu J, Rahman AKMN, Schwartz JA, Bonner P, Yue FY, Ostrowski MA. Comprehensive Cross-Clade Characterization of Antibody-Mediated Recognition, Complement-Mediated Lysis, and Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity of HIV-1 Envelope-Specific Antibodies toward Eradication of the HIV-1 Reservoir. Journal of virology. 2017; 91(16). PubMed [journal] PMID: 28592534, PMCID: PMC5533900
2. Yue FY, Cohen JC, Ho M, Rahman AK, Liu J, Mujib S, Saiyed A, Hundal S, Khozin A, Bonner P, Liu D, Benko E, Kovacs C, Ostrowski M. HIV-Specific Granzyme. B-Secreting but Not Gamma Interferon-Secreting T Cells Are Associated with Reduced Viral Reservoirs in Early HIV Infection. Journal of virology. 2017; 91(8). PubMed [journal] PMID: 28179527, PMCID: PMC5375660
3. MacParland SA, Fadel SM, Mihajlovic V, Fawaz A, Kim C, Rahman AK, Liu J, Kaul R, Kovacs C, Grebely J, Dore GJ, Wong DK, Ostrowski MA. HCV Specific IL-21 Producing T Cells but Not IL-17A Producing T Cells Are Associated with HCV Viral Control in HIV/HCV Coinfection. PloS one. 2016; 11(4):e0154433. PubMed [journal] PMID: 27124305, PMCID: PMC4849786
4. Ostrowski M, Benko E, Yue FY, Kim CJ, Huibner S, Lee T, Singer J, Pankovich J, Laeyendecker O, Kaul R, Kandel G, Kovacs C. Intensifying Antiretroviral Therapy With Raltegravir and Maraviroc During Early Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection Does Not Accelerate HIV Reservoir Reduction. Open forum infectious diseases. 2015; 2(4):ofv138. PubMed [journal] PMID: 26512359, PMCID: PMC4621663
5. Huang YH, Zhu C, Kondo Y, Anderson AC, Gandhi A, Russell A, Dougan SK, Petersen BS, Melum E, Pertel T, Clayton KL, Raab M, Chen Q, Beauchemin N, Yazaki PJ, Pyzik M, Ostrowski MA, Glickman JN, Rudd CE, Ploegh HL, Franke A, Petsko GA, Kuchroo VK, Blumberg RS. CEACAM1 regulates TIM-3-mediated tolerance and exhaustion. Nature. 2015; 517(7534):386-90. NIHMSID: NIHMS644082 PubMed [journal] PMID: 25363763, PMCID: PMC4297519