Dr. Harvey Friedman

Biography

Harvey Friedman’s laboratory is developing vaccines for preventing and treating genital herpes. His research focuses on immune evasion strategies used by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), specifically the roles of glycoproteins gC, gD, and gE in evading the immune system. His lab has shown that HSV-1 and HSV-2 employ gC to bind complement proteins, which inhibits complement activation and enables the virus to evade immune responses. His team's studies with mutant viruses demonstrated that those unable to bind complement are significantly more susceptible to neutralization. Additionally, the lab evaluates protective responses in various animal models, discovering the potential for innovative vaccine strategies utilizing nucleoside-modified mRNA to target viral entry and immune evasion mechanisms. Current efforts include trials aimed at progressing genital herpes vaccine candidates to human trials and developing vaccines targeting oral herpes.

Research Interests