Department of Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge Veterinary School

Research in Veterinary Medicine

Jonathan L Heeney

Position(s): Professor of Comparative Pathology

Head of Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics

Email: jlh66@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 766250

Other relevant links

Research description

3d rendering of HIV envelope and GFP labelled vesicles

The following article is a description of the research in our laboratory. What Darwin didn't know: viruses and evolution

The Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics focuses on cross species transmission of viruses, and the co-evolution of viruses and their hosts including the evolution of immune mechanisms of disease protection in naturally infected but disease resistant species. Not only has this interest led to the discovery of a number of new viruses, genetic comparison of host and viral sequences from the same individual and sample have provided powerful genetic tools to solve some of nature's intriguing mysteries. Currently this laboratory applies such molecular technologies to address important questions concerning zoonotic infections of importance to both veterinary and human health. Ongoing projects include the evolution of primate retroviruses, the search for novel hepatitis viruses and the dynamics of norovirus infections.

Studies also focus on understanding successful host immune responses to RNA viruses. Translationally this information is utilized for the rational design of novel vaccines for the prevention of diseases caused by notoriously variable viral pathogens. This lab continues to address the complex issues of immune correlates and to develop strategies to systematically dissect vaccine-induced immune responses that facilitate vaccine efficacy. Current vaccine programmes include structure based vaccine development for HIV and hepatitis C, and rational vaccine design by escape analysis.

Members of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics

Funding and Support

  • The Wellcome Trust
  • The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • The National Institutes of Health
  • The European Commission

Main collaborators

  • Robin Weiss, University College London, UK
  • Susan Barnett and Indresh Srivastava, Novartis, Boston, USA
  • Giuseppe Pantaleo, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Ralf Wagner, University of Regensburg, Germany
  • William Bernal, Kings College London, UK
  • Sheena McCormack, Clinical Trial Unit, London, UK
  • Mariano Esteban, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, Madrid, Spain
  • Quentin Sattentau, University of Oxford
  • Greg Towers, University College London, UK
  • Peter Liljestrom, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholn, Sweden
  • Paul Kellam and Gordon Dougan, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge
  • Winifred Weissenhorn, Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France
  • Graeme Alexander, Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Key publications since 2004

  • Draper, S. J. and J. L. Heeney Viruses as vaccine vectors for infectious diseases and cancer. Nat Rev Microbiol 8(1): 62-73. [PubMed]
  • Weiss, R. A. and J. L. Heeney (2009). Infectious diseases: An ill wind for wild chimps? Nature 460(7254): 470-1. [PubMed]
  • Mooij, P., S. S. Balla-Jhagjhoorsingh, N. Beenhakker, P. van Haaften, I. Baak, I. G. Nieuwenhuis, S. Heidari, H. Wolf, M. J. Frachette, K. Bieler, N. Sheppard, A. Harari, P. A. Bart, P. Liljestrom, R. Wagner, G. Pantaleo and J. L. Heeney (2009). Comparison of human and rhesus macaque T-cell responses elicited by boosting with NYVAC encoding human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clade C immunogens. J Virol 83(11): 5881-9. [PubMed]
  • Wilson, S. J., B. L. Webb, L. M. Ylinen, E. Verschoor, J. L. Heeney and G. J. Towers (2008). Independent evolution of an antiviral TRIMCyp in rhesus macaques. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(9): 3557-62. [PubMed]
  • Verschoor, E. J., M. J. Groenewoud, Z. Fagrouch, A. Kewalapat, S. van Gessel, M. J. Kik and J. L. Heeney (2008). Molecular characterization of the first polyomavirus from a New World primate: squirrel monkey polyomavirus. J Gen Virol 89(Pt 1): 130-7. [PubMed]
  • Corbett, M., W. M. Bogers, J. L. Heeney, S. Gerber, C. Genin, A. Didierlaurent, H. Oostermeijer, R. Dubbes, G. Braskamp, S. Lerondel, C. E. Gomez, M. Esteban, R. Wagner, I. Kondova, P. Mooij, S. Balla-Jhagjhoorsingh, N. Beenhakker, G. Koopman, S. van der Burg, J. P. Kraehenbuhl and A. Le Pape (2008). Aerosol immunization with NYVAC and MVA vectored vaccines is safe, simple, and immunogenic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(6): 2046-51. [PubMed]
  • Harari, A., P. A. Bart, W. Stohr, G. Tapia, M. Garcia, E. Medjitna-Rais, S. Burnet, C. Cellerai, O. Erlwein, T. Barber, C. Moog, P. Liljestrom, R. Wagner, H. Wolf, J. P. Kraehenbuhl, M. Esteban, J. Heeney, M. J. Frachette, J. Tartaglia, S. McCormack, A. Babiker, J. Weber and G. Pantaleo (2008). An HIV-1 clade C DNA prime, NYVAC boost vaccine regimen induces reliable, polyfunctional, and long-lasting T cell responses. J Exp Med 205(1): 63-77. [PubMed]
  • Verschoor, E. J., M. J. Groenewoud, Z. Fagrouch, A. Kewalapat, S. van Gessel, M. J. Kik and J. L. Heeney (2008). Molecular characterization of the first polyomavirus from a New World primate: squirrel monkey polyomavirus. J Gen Virol 89(Pt 1): 130-7. [PubMed]
  • Mooij, P., S. S. Balla-Jhagjhoorsingh, G. Koopman, N. Beenhakker, P. van Haaften, I. Baak, I. G. Nieuwenhuis, I. Kondova, R. Wagner, H. Wolf, C. E. Gomez, J. L. Najera, V. Jimenez, M. Esteban and J. L. Heeney (2008). Differential CD4+ versus CD8+ T-cell responses elicited by different poxvirus-based human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccine candidates provide comparable efficacies in primates. J Virol 82(6): 2975-88. [PubMed]
  • Rollier, C. S., G. Paranhos-Baccala, E. J. Verschoor, B. E. Verstrepen, J. A. Drexhage, Z. Fagrouch, J. L. Berland, F. Komurian-Pradel, B. Duverger, N. Himoudi, C. Staib, M. Meyr, M. Whelan, J. A. Whelan, V. C. Adams, E. Larrea, J. I. Riezu, J. J. Lasarte, B. Bartosch, F. L. Cosset, W. J. Spaan, H. M. Diepolder, G. R. Pape, G. Sutter, G. Inchauspe and J. L. Heeney (2007). Vaccine-induced early control of hepatitis C virus infection in chimpanzees fails to impact on hepatic PD-1 and chronicity. Hepatology 45(3): 602-13. [PubMed]
  • Heeney, J. L., A. G. Dalgleish and R. A. Weiss (2006). Origins of HIV and the evolution of resistance to AIDS. Science 313(5786): 462-6. [PubMed]
  • Heeney, J. L. (2006). Zoonotic viral diseases and the frontier of early diagnosis, control and prevention. J Intern Med 260(5): 399-408. [PubMed]
  • Heeney, J. L. and S. A. Plotkin (2006). Immunological correlates of protection from HIV infection and disease. Nat Immunol 7(12): 1281-4. [PubMed]
  • Verschoor, E. J., Z. Fagrouch, I. Bontjer, H. Niphuis and J. L. Heeney (2004). A novel simian immunodeficiency virus isolated from a Schmidt's guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti). J Gen Virol 85(Pt 1): 21-4. [PubMed]
  • Mooij, P., I. G. Nieuwenhuis, C. J. Knoop, R. W. Doms, W. M. Bogers, P. J. Ten Haaft, H. Niphuis, W. Koornstra, K. Bieler, J. Kostler, B. Morein, A. Cafaro, B. Ensoli, R. Wagner and J. L. Heeney (2004). Qualitative T-helper responses to multiple viral antigens correlate with vaccine-induced immunity to simian/human immunodeficiency virus infection. J Virol 78(7): 3333-42. [PubMed]
  • Tenner-Racz, K., C. Stahl Hennig, K. Uberla, H. Stoiber, R. Ignatius, J. Heeney, R. M. Steinman and P. Racz (2004). Early protection against pathogenic virus infection at a mucosal challenge site after vaccination with attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101(9): 3017-22. [PubMed]
  • Koopman, G., D. Mortier, S. Hofman, H. Niphuis, Z. Fagrouch, S. Norley, G. Sutter, P. Liljestrom and J. L. Heeney (2004). Vaccine protection from CD4+ T-cell loss caused by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) mac251 is afforded by sequential immunization with three unrelated vaccine vectors encoding multiple SIV antigens. J Gen Virol 85(Pt 10): 2915-24. [PubMed]
  • Verschoor, E. J., S. Langenhuijzen, I. Bontjer, Z. Fagrouch, H. Niphuis, K. S. Warren, K. Eulenberger and J. L. Heeney (2004). The phylogeography of orangutan foamy viruses supports the theory of ancient repopulation of Sumatra. J Virol 78(22): 12712-6. [PubMed]