Source: Interfolio F180


James Voss

Institute Investigator
Department of Immunology and Microbiology


 Email

Research Focus

Our group develops genome modified B lymphocytes as potential cell therapies; to study the biology of the antibody memory response; and as tools for immunogen testing and the development of antibody-based biologics. We are a pioneer in this space and were first to show that CRISPR-Cas could be used to reprogram the specificity of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). We were co-first to show that such BCR-reprogrammed primary B cells have the capacity to isotype-switch and affinity mature in germinal centers after adoptive transfer and vaccination in a wild type mouse model. Here, vaccinated cells can become bona-fide long-lived plasma cells capable of secreting engineered antibody for extended periods and repeated boosting can augment these titers.

Because HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) can suppress viremia, kill infected cells, and enhance host immunity, we believe that durable elicitation of multi-specific bnAb responses from engineered B cells is a promising approach for an HIV functional cure. Working towards this end, our group is further characterizing the behavior of modified B cells in the mouse model, and we are working to elicit bi- or tri-specific bnab memory responses in NHPs, where their ability to protect against infection or maintain suppression of viremia can  be evaluated. We are also exploring other applications for this promising technology in immunotherapy and even for treatment of genetic diseases like hemophilia.

Our team is currently made up of four graduate students, one postdoc and one research assistant. We are funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and two R01 awards from the NIAID. You can learn more about our group and the science we are doing on our lab website (link above).


Education

Ph.D. (Structural Virology), University of Paris, 2011
B.S. (Chemistry & Biochemistry), University of Western Ontario, 1999
M.S. (Biochemistry), University of Alberta, 2003

Professional Experience

2006-2011: Ph.D. Structural Virology, Institut Pasteur, University of Paris
2011-2017: Postdoctoral Fellow, Scripps Research
2018-present: Institute Investigator, Scripps Research

Awards & Professional Activities

2006 European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Fellowship
2017 Bill and Melinda Gates Award for CAR-B Vaccine Development
2017 Reviewer for Journal of Retrovirology, NPJ Vaccines, Journal of Virology, and Blood Advances
2020 National Institutes of Health and European Research Council Scientific Reviewer

Selected Publications

Huang, D.; Tran, J. T.; Olson, A.; Vollbrecht, T.; Tenuta, M.; Guryleva, M. V.; Fuller, R. P.; Schiffner, T.; Abadejos, J. R.; Couvrette, L.; Blane, T. R.; Saye, K.; Li, W.; Landais, E.; Gonzalez-Martin, A. ..; Schief, W.; Murrell, B.; Burton, D. R.; Nemazee, D.; Voss, J. E. Vaccine elicitation of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies from engineered B cells. Nat Commun 2020, 11, 5850.

Voss, J. E.; Gonzalez-Martin, A. ..; Andrabi, R.; Fuller, R. P.; Murrell, B.; McCoy, L. E.; Porter, K.; Huang, D.; Li, W.; Sok, D.; Le, K.; Briney, B.; Chateau, M.; Rogers, G.; Hangartner, L.; Feeney, A. J.; Nemazee, D.; Cannon, P.; Burton, D. R. Reprogramming the antigen specificity of B cells using genome-editing technologies. Elife 2019, 8.

Nahmad, A. D.; Lazzarotto, C. R.; Zelikson, N.; Kustin, T.; Tenuta, M.; Huang, D.; Reuveni, I.; Nataf, D.; Raviv, Y.; Horovitz-Fried, M.; Dotan, I.; Carmi, Y.; Rosin-Arbesfeld, R.; Nemazee, D.; Voss, J. E.; Stern, A.; Tsai, S. Q.; Barzel, A. In vivo engineered B cells secrete high titers of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies in mice. 2022, 40, 1241-1249.

Burton, D. R.; Briney, B.; Andrabi, R.; Teijaro, J. R.; Voss, J. E.; Wilson, I. A.; Nemazee, D.; Smith, D. M.; Zhao, F.; Yuan, M.; Yang, L.; Wu, N. C.; Woehl, J. L.; Song, G.; Sok, D.; Smith, D. M.; Smith, C.; Rogers, T. F.; Ricketts, J.; Ricciardi, M. J.; Rawlings, S. A.; Ramirez, S. I.; Peng, L.; Parren, M.; Limbo, O.; Landais, E.; Jardine, J. G.; Hurtado, J.; Huang, D.; He, W.; Garcia, E.; Callaghan, S.; Burns, A.; Beutler, N.; Abbott, R. K. Isolation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and protection from disease in a small animal model.. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2020, 956-963.
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Wec, A. Z.; Wrapp, D.; Herbert, A. S.; Maurer, D. P.; Haslwanter, D.; Sakharkar, M.; Jangra, R. K.; Dieterle, M. E.; Lilov, A.; Huang, D.; Tse, L. V.; Johnson, N. V.; Hsieh, C. L.; Wang, N.; Nett, J. H.; Champney, E.; Burnina, I.; Brown, M.; Lin, S.; Sinclair, M.; Johnson, C.; Pudi, S.; Bortz, 3.; Wirchnianski, A. S.; Laudermilch, E.; Florez, C.; Fels, J. M.; O'Brien, C. M.; Graham, B. S.; Nemazee, D.; Burton, D. R.; Baric, R. S.; Voss, J. E.; Chandran, K.; Dye, J. M.; McLellan, J. S.; Walker, L. M. Broad neutralization of SARS-related viruses by human monoclonal antibodies. Science 2020, 369, 731-736.

Voss, J. E.; Andrabi, R.; McCoy, L. E.; Val, N.; Fuller, R. P.; Messmer, T.; Su, C. Y.; Sok, D.; Khan, S. N.; Garces, F.; Pritchard, L. K.; Wyatt, R. T.; Ward, A. B.; Crispin, M.; Wilson, I. A.; Burton, D. R. Elicitation of Neutralizing Antibodies Targeting the V2 Apex of the HIV Envelope Trimer in a Wild-Type Animal Model. Cell Rep 2017, 21, 222-235.