Research

Research Priorities: Influenza-viruses, influenza, viral replication, endogenous defense, development of vaccinations, reverse genetics

Peter Palese is a microbiologist and one of the leading scientists in the research on influenza-viruses. He was the first to map the genes of the three types of viruses (A, B, C) and elucidated the mechanisms of RNA viruses replication. Based on his research, new vaccines against influenza were developed.

The pathogens of influenza are RNA-containing viruses that can change rapidly. This happens by an accumulation (antigenic drift) of mutations in the hemagglutinin or by the acquisition of a completely new (antigenic shift) hemagglutinin gene. During influenza pandemics such as the Spanish flu of 1918 or the Asian flu of 1957, viruses with novel haemagglutinin-genes caused countless deaths.

Palese researched how a harmless influenza-virus becomes a dangerous influenza-virus and how it can override the body’s own defences. He could show that the inhibition of neuraminidase prevents the replication of viruses in cell culture and in animals. He identified the mechanism of action of these neuraminidase inhibitors. On this basis of this work, neuraminidase-inhibitors were FDA-approved as medication against influenza.

Furthermore, Palese pioneered the discipline of reverse genetics, by which influenza-viruses are produced in vitro so that their genes can be purposefully altered. With this method, the influenza-virus of 1918 was successfully recreated in the laboratory. Using this technology, novel vaccines against influenza and other viral diseases viruses were developed. Most recently Palese focused on next generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Career

• since 2023 Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• since 1978 Professor of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• 1987-2023 Chair, Department for Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• 1974-1977 Associate Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• 1971-1974 Assistant Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• 1970-1971 Postdoc, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, USA
• 1970 Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutics, Vienna, Austria
• 1969 PhD in Chemistry, Vienna, Austria

Functions

• since 2018 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Institute of Human Virology (IHV), Baltimore, USA
• since 2017 Member, Board of Directors, Global Virus Network (GVN)
• 2005-2006 President, American Society for Virology (ASV), USA
• 2003-2004 President, The Harvey Society, New York City, USA
• 1999-2003 Member, Virology Study Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), USA
• 1992-1997 Member, Advisory Board, Max-Planck Society, Munich
• 1990-1994 Member, Virology Study Section, NIAID, USA
• 1978-1981 Member, Grant Review Panel for Genetic Biology, National Science Foundation (NSF), USA
• 1977-2001 Associate Editor, Virology

Honours and Memberships

• 2020 Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, USA
• 2017 IHV Lifetime Achievement Award, IHV, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
• 2017 Drexel Medicine Prize in Translational Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA
• 2016 Maurice Hilleman/Merck Award, American Society for Microbiology, USA
• 2016 Honorary Doctorate, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
• 2015 Mount Sinai Inventor of the Year Award, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• 2015 Beijerinck Virology Prize, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Netherlands
• since 2014 Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA
• 2014 Honorary Doctorate, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
• since 2012 Member, National Academy of Medicine, USA
• 2012 Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award, Pasteur Institut, Paris, France
• 2010 European Virology Award, European Society for Virology
• 2006 Honorary Doctorate, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
• since 2006 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2006 Robert-Koch Prize, Robert-Koch Foundation, Berlin, Germany
• 2005 Howard Taylor Ricketts Award, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
• 2005 Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, Austria
• since 2001 Corresponding Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
• since 2000 Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA
• 2000 Fellow, American Academy for Microbiology, USA
• since 1998 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, USA
• 1991 Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Infectious Disease Research Grant, Bristol-Myers Squibb, New York City, USA
• 1980 Gustav Stern Award in Virology