Thomas Fuerst
Contact Info
Phone: 240-314-6507
Website
Thomas Fuerst
Professor
Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research

Research Interests

Dr. Fuerst’s research is focused on the development of next-generation vaccines and protein-based therapeutics for infectious disease and cancer. The Fuerst group brings together an assemblage of scientific disciplines including virology, immunology, analytical chemistry, cell biology, structural biology, computational biology, and protein engineering. The multidisciplinary programs include:  (1) a structure-based vaccine design program focused on enveloped viruses, (2) a scaffold-based protein therapeutics program focused on cancer targets, and, (3) an immunoadjuvant and delivery program focused on polyphosphazene-based macromolecular delivery systems.

Education

  • Ph.D., Molecular Genetics, Cornell University, 1984
  • MBA, Science, Technology and Innovation, George Washington University, 1992
  • B.A., Biochemistry, University of California at Berkeley, 1980

All Publications

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Latest Publications

Kulakova L,Li KH,Chiang AWT,Schwoerer MP,Suzuki S,Schoffelen S,Elkholy KH,Chao KL,Shahid S,Kumar B,Murray NB,Archer-Hartmann S,Azadi P,Voldborg BG,Marin A,Mariuzza RA,Andrianov AK,Ploss A,Lewis NE,Toth EA,Fuerst TR
Glycoengineering of the hepatitis C virus E2 glycoprotein improves biochemical properties and enhances immunogenicity.
NPJ Vaccines. 2025 Jun 11;10(1):121. doi: 10.1038/s41541-025-01161-6. Epub 2025 Jun 11
Shahid S,Karade SS,Hasan SS,Yin R,Jiang L,Liu Y,Felbinger N,Kulakova L,Toth EA,Keck ZY,Foung SKH,Fuerst TR,Pierce BG,Mariuzza RA
Cryo-EM structures of HCV E2 glycoprotein bound to neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies determined using bivalent Fabs as fiducial markers.
Commun Biol. 2025 May 29;8(1):825. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08239-w. Epub 2025 May 29
Wu MYM,Rocamora F,Robinson CM,Shin S,Toth EA,Fuerst TR,Maurya S,Lewis NE
Enhanced Production of HCV E1E2 Subunit Vaccine Candidates via Protein-Protein Interaction Identification in Glycoengineered CHO cells.
bioRxiv. 2025 May 23;:. pii: 2025.05.20.655202. doi: 10.1101/2025.05.20.655202. Epub 2025 May 23
He L,Lee YZ,Zhang YN,Newby ML,Janus BM,Gonzalez FG,Ward G,DesRoberts C,Hung SH,Giang E,Allen JD,Kulakova L,Toth EA,Fuerst TR,Law M,Ofek G,Crispin M,Zhu J
Native-like soluble E1E2 glycoprotein heterodimers on self-assembling protein nanoparticles for hepatitis C virus vaccine design.
bioRxiv. 2025 May 16;:. pii: 2025.05.16.654559. doi: 10.1101/2025.05.16.654559. Epub 2025 May 16
Kulakova L,Li KH,Chiang AWT,Schwoerer MP,Schoffelen S,Elkholy K,Chao KL,Shahid S,Kumar B,Murray NB,Archer-Hartmann S,Azadi P,Voldborg BG,Marin A,Mariuzza RA,Andrianov AK,Ploss A,Lewis NE,Toth EA,Fuerst TR
Glycoengineering of the hepatitis C virus E2 glycoprotein leads to improved biochemical properties and enhanced immunogenicity.
bioRxiv. 2025 Apr 7;:. pii: 2025.04.02.646860. doi: 10.1101/2025.04.02.646860. Epub 2025 Apr 7
Fuerst TR,Marin A,Jeong S,Kulakova L,Hlushko R,Gorga K,Toth EA,Singh NJ,Andrianov AK
Virus-Mimicking Polymer Nanocomplexes Co-Assembling HCV E1E2 and Core Proteins with TLR 7/8 Agonist-Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vivo Activity.
J Funct Biomater. 2025 Jan 19;16(1):. doi: 10.3390/jfb16010034. Epub 2025 Jan 19
Janus BM,Wang R,Cleveland TE 4th,Metcalf MC,Lemmer AC,van Dyk N,Jeong S,Astavans A,Class K,Fuerst TR,Ofek G
Macaque antibodies targeting Marburg virus glycoprotein induced by multivalent immunization.
J Virol. 2024 Jul 23;98(7):e0015524. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00155-24. Epub 2024 Jun 4
Li X,Kulakova L,Jones K,Toth EA,Mitchell MK,Mendez Q,Weiner MP,Fuerst TR
Site-directed neutralizing antibodies targeting structural sites on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
N Biotechnol. 2024 May 25;80:27-36. doi: 10.1016/j.nbt.2023.12.004. Epub 2023 Dec 20
Pierce BG,Felbinger N,Metcalf M,Toth EA,Ofek G,Fuerst TR
Hepatitis C Virus E1E2 Structure, Diversity, and Implications for Vaccine Development.
Viruses. 2024 May 18;16(5):. doi: 10.3390/v16050803. Epub 2024 May 18
Rocamora F,Schoffelen S,Arnsdorf J,Toth EA,Abdul Y,Cleveland TE 4th,Bjørn SP,Wu MYM,McElvaney NG,Voldborg BGR,Fuerst TR,Lewis NE
Glycoengineered recombinant alpha1-antitrypsin results in comparable in vitro and in vivo activities to human plasma-derived protein.
bioRxiv. 2024 Mar 30;:. pii: 2024.03.27.587088. doi: 10.1101/2024.03.27.587088. Epub 2024 Mar 30
Rocamora F,Peralta AG,Shin S,Sorrentino J,Wu MYM,Toth EA,Fuerst TR,Lewis NE
Glycosylation shapes the efficacy and safety of diverse protein, gene and cell therapies.
Biotechnol Adv. 2023 Oct;67:108206. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108206. Epub 2023 Jun 22
Toth EA,Andrianov AK,Fuerst TR
Prospects for developing an Hepatitis C virus E1E2-based nanoparticle vaccine.
Rev Med Virol. 2023 Sep;33(5):e2474. doi: 10.1002/rmv.2474. Epub 2023 Aug 11
Metcalf MC,Janus BM,Yin R,Wang R,Guest JD,Pozharski E,Law M,Mariuzza RA,Toth EA,Pierce BG,Fuerst TR,Ofek G
Structure of engineered hepatitis C virus E1E2 ectodomain in complex with neutralizing antibodies.
Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 5;14(1):3980. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39659-z. Epub 2023 Jul 5
Tagad HD,Marin A,Wang R,Yunus AS,Fuerst TR,Andrianov AK
Fluorine-Functionalized Polyphosphazene Immunoadjuvant: Synthesis, Solution Behavior and In Vivo Potency.
Molecules. 2023 May 21;28(10):. doi: 10.3390/molecules28104218. Epub 2023 May 21
Glassman KF,Brugge JS,Purchio AF,Kakach LT,Fuerst TR,Woods RM,Stover CK,Chunduru SK,Hincks JR,McKinlay MA,Nash CH,Pevear DC,Monath TP,Rice CM,Peters P
Biographical Feature: Marc S. Collett (23 May 1951-11 June 2022): the Battle against Viral Disease Has Lost a Valiant Warrior, and the World Has Lost a Splendid Human Being.
J Virol. 2023 Jan 31;97(1):e0164322. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01643-22. Epub 2022 Dec 5
Romanyuk A,Wang R,Marin A,Janus BM,Felner EI,Xia D,Goez-Gazi Y,Alfson KJ,Yunus AS,Toth EA,Ofek G,Carrion R Jr,Prausnitz MR,Fuerst TR,Andrianov AK
Skin Vaccination with Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Using a Polyphosphazene-Based Microneedle Patch Protects Mice against Lethal Challenge.
J Funct Biomater. 2022 Dec 27;14(1):. doi: 10.3390/jfb14010016. Epub 2022 Dec 27
Wang R,Suzuki S,Guest JD,Heller B,Almeda M,Andrianov AK,Marin A,Mariuzza RA,Keck ZY,Foung SKH,Yunus AS,Pierce BG,Toth EA,Ploss A,Fuerst TR
Induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies using a secreted form of the hepatitis C virus E1E2 heterodimer as a vaccine candidate.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Mar 15;119(11):e2112008119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112008119. Epub 2022 Mar 9
Salas JH,Urbanowicz RA,Guest JD,Frumento N,Figueroa A,Clark KE,Keck Z,Cowton VM,Cole SJ,Patel AH,Fuerst TR,Drummer HE,Major M,Tarr AW,Ball JK,Law M,Pierce BG,Foung SKH,Bailey JR
An Antigenically Diverse, Representative Panel of Envelope Glycoproteins for Hepatitis C Virus Vaccine Development.
Gastroenterology. 2022 Feb;162(2):562-574. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.10.005. Epub 2021 Oct 13
Toth EA,Chagas A,Pierce BG,Fuerst TR
Structural and Biophysical Characterization of the HCV E1E2 Heterodimer for Vaccine Development.
Viruses. 2021 May 29;13(6):. doi: 10.3390/v13061027. Epub 2021 May 29
Andrianov AK,Fuerst TR
Immunopotentiating and Delivery Systems for HCV Vaccines.
Viruses. 2021 May 25;13(6):. doi: 10.3390/v13060981. Epub 2021 May 25

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