Caitlin Stoddard, PhD

  • Assistant Professor
  • Center for Vaccine Research

Education & Training

  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Adaptive and Innate Viral Immunity, 2019-2025
  • PhD, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of California, San Francisco, 2018
  • BA, Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2010

Research Interest Summary

Host-Pathogen Interactions, Microbial and Viral Pathogenesis

Research Interests

My lab studies how individual genes/proteins contribute to early-acting innate immunity to viral infection through Type I and III interferon responses. We use high-throughput functional genetic screens to discover novel antiviral genes that target human coronaviruses and other viruses. We are particularly interested in understanding how host, cell and virus context contribute to specificity or breadth of antiviral gene activity during the innate immune response. For example, we are interested in whether there are differences in the antiviral gene repertoire in the upper versus lower airway, or in respiratory epithelial cells versus immune cells. We hope that these studies will eventually deepen options to leverage the innate immune response in therapeutic antiviral strategies targeting the host. In the past, we have also studied antibody-mediated immunity to viral infection and have plans to apply mapping approaches to understand how antibody binding sites are associated with disease outcomes associated with viral infection.
 
Specific active projects include:
 
  • Discovery of novel interferon-stimulated genes that control infection by both mildly and more severely pathogenic human coronaviruses
  • Understanding the mechanism-of-action of antiviral factors like LY6E and CD68 in blocking coronavirus infection in respiratory and immune tissue
  • Characterizing novel bat viral tolerance factors and their application to viral control in human cells

Publications

Willcox, A.C., Gobillot, T.A., Kikawa, C., Baumgarten, N., Stoddard, C.I., Sung, K., Marceau, J., Humes, D., Overbaugh, J. “A novel antiviral function of AMOTL2 enhances the human type I interferon response against Zika virus.” PNAS, 2025.
 
Stoddard, C.I., Sung, K., Yaffe, Z.A., Weight, H., Beaudoin-Bussière, G., Galloway, J., Gantt, S., Ahiambo, J., Begnel, E., Ojee, E., Slyker, J., Wamalwa, D., Kinuthia, J., Finzi, A., Matsen IV, F.A., Lehman, D.A., Overbaugh, J. “Elevated binding and functional antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in infants versus mothers.” Nat Comm., PMID: 37567924, 2023.
 
Stoddard, C.I., Sung, K., Ojee, E., Adhiambo, J., Begnel, E.R., Slyker, J., Gantt, S., Matsen IV, F.A., Kinuthia, J., Wamalwa, D., Overbaugh, J., Lehman, D.A. “Distinct antibody responses to endemic coronaviruses pre- and post-SARS-CoV-2 infection in Kenyan infants and mothers.” Viruses, PMID: 35891497, 2022.
 
Stoddard, C.I., Galloway, J., Chu, H.Y., Shipley, M.M., Itell, H.I., Wolf, C.R., Logue, J.K., Magedson, A., Sung, K., Garrett, M., Crawford K.H.D., Laserson, U., Matsen IV, F.A., Overbaugh, J. “Epitope profiling reveals binding signatures of SARS-CoV-2 immune response and cross-reactivity with endemic HCoVs.” Cell Rep., PMID: 33991511, 2021.
 
Stoddard, C.I., Feng, S., Campbell, M.G., Liu, W., Wang, H., Bernatavichute, Y., Cheng, Y., Jacobsen, S.E., Narlikar, G.J. “A nucleosome bridging mechanism for activation of a maintenance DNA methyltransferase.” Mol. Cell., PMID: 30415948, 2019.