Bonnie L. Hall, PhD

  • Research Assistant Professor

Education & Training

  • PhD in Molecular Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 2003
  • BS in Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 1997

Research Interests

My primary research interest is to engineer Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) based oncolytic vectors (oHSV) for cancer therapy. Our overall goals are to design oHSV vectors that retarget virus infection to cancer associated surface proteins, enhance virus replication within tumors, and augment the host immune response to cancer cells. These experiments draw on our understanding of HSV entry and spread to modify the viral envelope glycoproteins and restrict virus infection to cells that express unique cell surface proteins. In addition, we utilize syngeneic mouse models of glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors to characterize the host immune response to oHSV and arm the vector with therapeutic transgenes intended to enhance the immune response to cancer cells.

Publications

Jackson JW, Hall BL, Marzulli M, et al. 2021. Treatment of glioblastoma with current oHSV variants reveals differences in efficacy and immune cell recruitment. Mol Ther Oncolytics. 22: 444-453. doi:10.1016/j.omto.2021.07.009

Hall BL, Leronni D, Miyagawa Y, Goins WF, Glorioso JC, Cohen JB. 2020. Generation of an oncolytic herpes simplex viral vector completely retargeted to the GDNF receptor gfrα1 for specific infection of breast cancer cells. Int J Mol Sci. 21 (22). doi:10.3390/ijms21228815

Tuzmen C, Cairns TM, Atanasiu D, et al. 2020. Point Mutations in Retargeted gD Eliminate the Sensitivity of EGFR/EGFRvIII-Targeted HSV to Key Neutralizing Antibodies. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 16: 145-154. doi:10.1016/j.omtm.2019.12.013

Miyagawa Y, Verlengia G, Reinhart B, et al.2017. Deletion of the Virion Host Shut-off Gene Enhances Neuronal-Selective Transgene Expression from an HSV Vector Lacking Functional IE Genes. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 6: 79-90. doi:10.1016/j.omtm.2017.06.001

Reinhart B, Goins WF, Harel A, et al. 2016. An HSV-based library screen identifies PP1α as a negative TRPV1 regulator with analgesic activity in models of pain. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 3: 16040. doi:10.1038/mtm.2016.40

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