Adolfo Garcia-Sastre

Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the Departments of Microbiology, Medicine (Infectious Diseases), and Pathology (Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine). He serves as Director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute and leads the Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP), a NIAID-funded Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.

Dr. Garcia-Sastre's research focuses on molecular biology of negative-strand RNA viruses, particularly influenza virus. His groundbreaking work includes developing reverse genetics techniques for recombinant influenza viruses, identifying interferon antagonist proteins as virulence factors, and creating live attenuated vaccine platforms using Newcastle disease virus and influenza vectors. His laboratory explores virus-encoded immune evasion mechanisms, RNA processing, and vaccine development against emerging pathogens like Zika, Dengue, and SARS-CoV-2.

He has served on NIH study sections, editorial boards of major journals including PLoS Pathogens and Journal of Virology, and organized international virology conferences. His scientific contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards and memberships in academic institutions.

Scientific Awards & Memberships:

• Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
• Beijerink Professorship (Netherlands National Academy of Sciences)
• President of the International Society for Vaccines (2011-2015)
• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Pharmacy in Spain
• Paper of the Year 2005 by The Lancet

Leadership & Collaborations: As Director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute and CRIP, he oversees multidisciplinary research programs. He collaborates with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute through the Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine and maintains industry relationships with biotech firms like Virofend and CastleVax Inc.