Amelia K Pinto, PhD
Connect
akpi235@uky.eduPositions
- Assistant Professor
- CNS-Met COBRE Project Leader
College Unit(s)
Biography and Education
Education
B.Sc., University of Portsmouth, Dept. Biology,
Ph.D., Oregon Health & Sciences University, Dept. Molecular Microbiology and Immunology,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Depts. Microbiology and Pathology and Immunology
Research
My research program is dedicated to understanding how chronic viral infections, together with metabolic conditions such as metabolic syndrome, shape innate and adaptive immune responses, ultimately influencing viral pathogenesis, immune protection, and vaccine efficacy. I investigate how the sites and dynamics of viral replication in peripheral and central nervous system tissues affect immune recognition and response, and how immune pressures—particularly from T cells—interact with viral diversity and evolution. My work aims to define the mechanisms by which viral replication and metabolic dysregulation alter immune cell function, viral clearance, and long-term outcomes.
A key area of my research examines how metabolic disorders impair or skew the quality and durability of immune responses to infection and vaccination, contributing to increased susceptibility and poorer outcomes in affected populations. By combining advanced immunological assays, animal models, and high-resolution sequencing, I study how viruses exploit metabolic dysregulation to evade immune control, with the goal of informing more effective interventions.
Through collaborative projects integrating mass spectrometry, structural studies, and systems immunology, my ultimate goal is to identify correlates of protection and immune escape mechanisms strengthening preparedness for current and future emerging viral threats.
Selected Publications
Stone ET, Pinto AK. T Cells in Tick-Borne Flavivirus Encephalitis: A Review of Current Paradigms in Protection and Disease Pathology. Viruses. 2023 Apr 13;15(4). doi: 10.3390/v15040958. Review. PubMed PMID: 37112938; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10146733.
Nasr MC, Geerling E, Pinto AK. Impact of Obesity on Vaccination to SARS-CoV-2. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:898810. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.898810. eCollection 2022. Review. PubMed PMID: 35795152; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9252434.
Geerling E, Hameed M, Weger-Lucarelli J, Pinto AK. Metabolic syndrome and aberrant immune responses to viral infection and vaccination: Insights from small animal models. Front Immunol. 2022;13:1015563. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1015563. eCollection 2022. Review. PubMed PMID: 36532060; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9747772.
Stone ET, Hassert M, Geerling E, Wagner C, Brien JD, Ebel GD, Hirsch AJ, German C, Smith JL, Pinto AK. Balanced T and B cell responses are required for immune protection against Powassan virus in virus-like particle vaccination. Cell Rep. 2022 Feb 15;38(7):110388. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110388. PubMed PMID: 35172138; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8919300.
Geerling E, Pinski AN, Stone TE, DiPaolo RJ, Zulu MZ, Maroney KJ, Brien JD, Messaoudi I, Pinto AK. Roles of antiviral sensing and type I interferon signaling in the restriction of SARS-CoV-2 replication. iScience. 2022 Jan 21;25(1):103553. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103553. Epub 2021 Dec 3. PubMed PMID: 34877479; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8639477.
Geerling E, Stone ET, Steffen TL, Hassert M, Brien JD, Pinto AK. Obesity Enhances Disease Severity in Female Mice Following West Nile Virus Infection. Front Immunol. 2021;12:739025. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.739025. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 34531877; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8439568.
Hassert M, Steffen TL, Scroggins S, Coleman AK, Shacham E, Brien JD, Pinto AK. Prior Heterologous Flavivirus Exposure Results in Reduced Pathogenesis in a Mouse Model of Zika Virus Infection. J Virol. 2021 Jul 26;95(16):e0057321. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00573-21. Epub 2021 Jul 26. PubMed PMID: 34076486; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8312874.
Hassert M, Geerling E, Stone ET, Steffen TL, Feldman MS, Dickson AL, Class J, Richner JM, Brien JD, Pinto AK. mRNA induced expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in mice for the study of the adaptive immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Dec;16(12):e1009163. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009163. eCollection 2020 Dec. PubMed PMID: 33326500; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7773324.
Pinto AK, Brien JD, Lam CY, Johnson S, Chiang C, Hiscott J, Sarathy VV, Barrett AD, Shresta S, Diamond MS. Defining New Therapeutics Using a More Immunocompetent Mouse Model of Antibody-Enhanced Dengue Virus Infection. mBio. 2015 Sep 15;6(5):e01316-15. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01316-15. PubMed PMID: 26374123; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4600115.