Blanton S Tolbert

Blanton S Tolbert is the Jacob Gershon Cohen Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. His laboratory develops and applies Raman spectroscopy and structural biology approaches to investigate RNA structure, virus-host interactions, and enzyme reaction mechanisms.

His research examines RNA conformational dynamics in viral genomes (including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and HIV), develops RNA-targeted small molecules as therapeutic leads, and characterizes enzyme-substrate intermediates. Current investigations focus on structural determinants of viral translation regulation and RNA-targeted antiviral strategies.

Recent publications reveal structural mechanisms of viral RNA function in SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, develop databases for RNA-targeting compounds (R-BIND 2.0), and characterize conformational switches in HIV regulatory elements. His work bridges structural biology, biophysics and virology.