Midwest Virology Symposium

Thank you for joining us for the 2025 Midwest Virology Symposium (MVS), a three-day gathering of virology researchers, clinicians, and trainees from across the Midwest. Hosted at the University of Kentucky, the symposium brought together participants for keynote presentations, scientific sessions, trainee talks, poster presentations, and networking across institutions and disciplines.

The 2025 symposium was held at the University of Kentucky, with Day 1 hosted in the state-of-the-art Jacobs Science Building and Days 2 and 3 hosted in the Gatton Student Center.

MVS 2025 Organizing Committee 

Special thanks to the MVS Organizing Committee for their leadership, collaboration, and work in making the 2025 symposium a success.

Faculty - Saurabh Chattopadhyay, PhD (Medicine) | Rebecca Dutch, PhD (Medicine) | Krystal Kuhs, PhD (Public Health) | Feng Li, PhD (Agriculture, Food and Environment) | Vince Venditto, PhD (Pharmacy) 

Trainees - Chase Heim (Medicine), Kripa Giri (Agriculture, Food and Environment)

Thank You for Joining Us

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Midwest Virology Symposium. We are grateful to the speakers, poster presenters, attendees, sponsors, volunteers, and organizing committee members who helped make the event a success.

Abstract Submission

Abstract submission is now closed. Thank you to all who submitted abstracts and contributed to the scientific program through poster and oral presentations.

Questions?

For questions about the symposium or request for materials, please contact the organizing committee at curekyidc@uky.edu.

Virology and Emerging Threats     |     Session I

Richard Kuhn, PhD (Purdue University) - Structural studies focused on Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses in Complex with Antibodies

Natasha Tilston-Lunel, PhD (Indiana University) - Bunyavirus Reassortment: Compatibility, Constraint, and Consequence

Jae Jung, PhD (Cleveland Clinic) - Inhibitor Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14-Nsp10 Exonuclease

Mike Berg, PhD (Abbott Laboratories) - THE ABBOTT PANDEMIC DEFENSE COALITION: Diagnostic preparedness through pathogen surveillance and discovery

Siyuan Ding, PhD (WashU Medicine) - Molecular Determinants of Rotavirus Host Range

Immunity and Pathogenesis     |     Session II

Amy Hartman, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) - Factors controlling entry, tropism, and disease outcome in response to Rift Valley fever virus

Jacob Yount, PhD (Ohio State University) - Modeling and Mitigating Cardiac Complications of Influenza Virus Infection

Pranav Danthi, PhD (Indiana University) - Antagonism of the innate immunity by reovirus

Bethany Moore, PhD (University of Michigan) - The role of TLR9 in influenza-MRSA co-infection

Megan Freeman, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) - Enterovirus D68 isolates that circulated in 2022 has altered neurotropism (selected from the abstracts)

Models and Therapeutics     |     Session III

Salvatore Simmini, PhD (StemCell Technologies) - Tissue-derived organoid models for in vitro viral infection and antiviral screening (Virtual)

John Williams, MD (University of Wisconsin) - The Nose Knows: Upper Airway Immunity to Human Metapneumovirus

Kerry Empey, PharmD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) - Development of an intranasal RSV vaccine for young children

Persistence and Oncology     |     Session IV

Li Wu, PhD (University of Iowa) - Deciphering the Role of m6A Modifications in HIV-1 Latency and Persistence

Sharmila Nair, PhD (University of Louisville) - Leveraging Zika virus and the immune system to treat GBM

Amanda Panfil, PhD (Ohio State University) - SRPK1 interacts with the HTLV-1 hbz RNA and influences cellular proliferation (selected from the abstracts)

Nathan Ungerleider, PhD (Saint Louis University) - EBV broadly disrupts host microRNA maturation in Burkitt’s lymphoma

Krystle Kuhs, PhD (University of Kentucky) - New methods of early detection for HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer