As home to the only World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating center focusing on the transmission of animal influenza viruses to humans, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is closely monitoring the H1N1 pandemic. The hospital has a long and storied history with influenza research and in 2007, was named one of six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The St. Jude faculty includes some of the world’s most renowned scientists studying infectious diseases. For information about a variety of topics related to the H1N1 pandemic, St. Jude has experts available.

Richard Webby, Ph.D., is an associate member in the division of Virology in the Infectious Diseases department at St. Jude. His research lies in the study of the influenza viruses in birds and animals of the world—particularly in Asia—and explores the fundamental differences between the Eurasian and American lineages of influenza viruses. Additionally, Webby is interested in the production and storage of viruses, reagents and technologies to facilitate rapid characterization and the exchange of information. Last year, he was named director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza Viruses in Lower Animals and Birds at St. Jude. Webby can offer expertise on an array of subjects, including international influenza surveillance, the movement of influenza from animals to humans as well as the evolution of pandemic influenza strains, including the current H1N1 virus.

Jonathan McCullers, M.D., is an associate member in the St. Jude Department of Infectious Diseases. McCullers manages infection control for the hospital and oversees a basic science laboratory that focuses on secondary bacterial infections following influenza as a means to provide targets for prevention and treatment by using drugs and vaccines. McCullers has published more than 60 research articles in journals such as Infection and Immunity, Pediatrics, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Cell Host & Microbe and the Journal of Virology. He is a member of the American Society of Virology, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the American Society of Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. McCullers is an expert on such topics as secondary infections following influenza, including factors in the virus and the patient that help explain the severity of complications; as well as how to protect children from influenza and how families should prepare.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization.

Source:  St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital