Professor Jonathan Heeney

The Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics (LVZ) focuses on cross species transmission of viruses, and the co-evolution of viruses and their hosts including the evolution of immune mechanisms of disease, disease resistance and prevention. Not only has this interest led to the discovery of a number of new viruses, the 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 molecular technologies to address important questions concerning zoonotic infections of importance to both veterinary and human health. We designed and run the newest, state of the art Biocontainment laboratory (BSL3) at the University and operate a new multiparamenter Flow sorting facility for single cell sorting of infectious samples under BSL3 conditions. This new facility enables the isolation and direct sequencing of single cells of different types infected with a variety of different viral agents or transforming plasmids. There is full spectrum of Viral-Immunopathology projects, ranging from the evolution of Zoonotic pathogens, characterisation of the Virome in "One Health and Disease" and impact of viral infections in primary immunodeficiencies. Research in the LVZ is divided into 3 broad areas; genomics, viromics and immunity.

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. Within the "immunity" programme, the 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.

We designed and run the newest, state of the art biological Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory at the University as well as operate a new multiparamenter Flow sorting facility for single cell sorting of infectious samples under CL3 conditions. This new facility enables the isolation and direct sequencing of single cells of different types infected with a variety of different viral agents or transforming plasmids. We have made both our CL3 facilities and FACS CL3 Suite available for use by members of the University. 

• LVZ Containment Level 3 Laboratory
• LVZ Containment Level 3 FACS Suite

I obtained my Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1984. After an externship with Peter Kennedy at UC Davis, I decided to pursue pathology and trained under Ted Valli in anatomic and clinical pathology receiving a DVSc in Pathology from the U of Guelph (1986). Subsequently I moved from Canada to SJ O'Brien's lab at the NIH in Maryland where I completed my PhD on the oncogenic transformation of B-cells by a bovine retrovirus, BLV. I became interested in genetic susceptibility to infectious disease and stayed on for postdoctoral work with O'Brien where I studied an outbreak of Feline Infectious Peritonitis virus in Cheetahs. I then moved to California as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Pathology at the Stanford School of Medicine to study a human cancer caused by HTLV-1, obtaining valuable technologies from the Crabtree (NFAT, T-cel activation) and Herzenberg (FACS) labs. After my fellowship in Human Pathology, I moved to study Transplant and retroviral disease pathology at TNO the Netherlands with P Bentvelzen and became interested in the origins of HIV and the challenge of how to design/develop a vaccine variable and immunosupressive viruses. I built and established my own lab, the Lab of Viral Pathogenesis at TNO which grew to become the Department of Virology which I headed for more than 10 years. After becoming an associate Professor at the University of Leiden, in 2007 I moved to Cambridge to start the Lab of Viral Zoonotics. I am a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Fellow of the Linnean Society, the Royal College of Medicine, and Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists. In 2012 I received an ScD from the University of Cambridge for my work in Viral Immunology and Immunopathology. In 2014 I organised the University wide multidisiplinary Darwin College Lecture series on "Plagues", not knowing that later in the year that the smouldering Ebola outbreak in West Africa would explode into a devastating epidemic.