معرفی
Eric O. Freed, Ph.D. is a Senior Investigator and Director of the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program at the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research. He also serves as Head of the Virus-Cell Interaction Section and holds adjunct professor positions at the University of Maryland and University of Delaware. Dr. Freed is recognized as a leader in the field of virus assembly with significant contributions to understanding retroviral replication at the molecular level.
Dr. Freed received his Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under Drs. Rex Risser and Howard Temin, followed by postdoctoral training with Dr. Temin in 1991. He joined NIAID in 1992, was appointed Tenure-Track Investigator in 1997, promoted to tenured Senior Investigator in 2002, and joined the HIV Drug Resistance Program (now HIV Dynamics and Replication Program) in 2003. He was appointed to the NCI Senior Biomedical Research Service in 2011, became Deputy Director of the HIV DRP in 2014, and Director in 2015.
Dr. Freed's research focuses on HIV-1 Gag trafficking, Env incorporation, virus assembly, budding, release, maturation, and drug resistance. His work has revealed critical insights into how retroviruses interact with host cellular machinery, particularly in identifying key host factors like phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate and inositol-hexakisphosphate that regulate viral assembly. His recent work has demonstrated how Env mutations can confer broad resistance to multiple classes of antiretrovirals and discovered that neutral sphingomyelinase 2 is required for HIV-1 maturation. His laboratory combines cell biology, virology, biochemistry, and imaging approaches to characterize viral and cellular determinants of HIV replication.
Dr. Freed's recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on the molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 replication, with particular emphasis on viral maturation, drug resistance mechanisms, and host-virus interactions. His work spans virology, molecular biology, structural biology, and drug development, with strong translational implications for novel antiretroviral therapies targeting previously unexplored aspects of the viral life cycle.
- KT Jeang Retrovirology Prize (2018)
- Ohio State University Center for Retrovirus Research Distinguished Research Career Award (2020)
- Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology (2019)
- NCI Research Highlights Award (2016)
- Outstanding Science Alumni Award from Penn State University (2014)
- NCI Women Scientists Advisors Mentoring and Leadership Award (2021)
- NCI Mentor of Merit Award (2010)
Dr. Freed has mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and research technicians throughout his career. Many of his trainees have received prestigious awards including Intramural AIDS Research Fellowships (IARF) and NIH Fellows Awards for Research Excellence (FARE). He has served as founding Editor-in-Chief of Viruses journal and on editorial boards of multiple journals including Journal of Virology and Science Advances. Dr. Freed has organized numerous major scientific meetings including Cold Spring Harbor Retroviruses Meetings and Keystone Symposia, and delivered plenary lectures at major conferences including CROI 2024. His laboratory has received consistent funding from the National Cancer Institute and maintains active collaborations with researchers at multiple institutions.
The Freed Lab at NCI consists of research biologists, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and postbaccalaureate researchers working collaboratively to advance understanding of HIV replication. The lab is part of the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program and maintains active collaborations with the Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions (PCHPI), the Behavior of HIV in Viral Environments (B-HIVE) Center, and the Center for Structural Biology of HIV RNA (CRNA). Dr. Freed also serves as Co-Director of the University of Maryland Virology Program and participates in multiple scientific advisory boards.
