Peter O'Hare

Professor Peter O'Hare holds the Chair in Virology at the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. His research focuses on HSV molecular biology, virus-host interactions, and herpesvirus life cycle. He has led significant studies on herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry mechanisms, innate immune evasion, and transcriptional regulation.

• Education: Ph.D., National Institute for Medical Research, London (United Kingdom); B.Sc. Microbiology, University of Sheffield (United Kingdom).

Research Interests: Professor O'Hare's lab investigates fundamental virus-host interactions during herpesvirus infection. Key areas include early genome entry, nuclear transport, and the interplay between viral proteins and host transcription machinery/innate immune responses. Techniques employed include molecular biology, click-chemistry, and single-cell/molecule analyses.

Recent Work Trends: His articles emphasize HSV pathogenesis, viral protein functions (e.g., ICP22, VP1-2), and host cell modifications like emerin delocalization. Research spans transcriptional regulation (CREB-H/CREB4 factors), ER retention mechanisms, and ubiquitin/proteasome pathways.

• Awards:
  • Academia Europaea Membership (2008)
  • Scientific Advisory Committee roles (International Herpesvirus Workshop)
  • Damon Runyon Fellowship (1983–1985)

Advising & Grants: Supervised PhD students Hanan Moshrif and Kerina Naran. Active in boards for Marie Curie Cancer Care and National Cancer Research Institute. Secured funding for virology and translational research initiatives.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Section of Virology at Imperial College London, collaborating on projects like HSV nuclear transport and innate immune evasion.