Paul Spearman, MD

My Biography & Research

Biography

Paul Spearman, MD is the Albert B. Sabin professor and director of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His laboratory studies fundamental aspects of HIV biology and develops new vaccines for human pathogens. HIV assembly processes are a major focus of the laboratory, including the trafficking of the HIV envelope glycoprotein and its interaction with essential host factors. A related project studies the role of tetherin in restricting HIV replication, and is defining how the viral protein Vpu counteracts this important host restriction factor. A novel mucosal HIV vaccine based on parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5) priming and virus-like particle boosting is under evaluation in macaque models. Dr. Spearman and his colleagues are engaged in the design and performance of clinical trials for new vaccines in adults and children, with a special interest in employing cutting-edge technologies to define innate and adaptive immune responses to vaccines.

Before moving to Cincinnati, Dr. Spearman was professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University, and chief research officer for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. While there he also served as co-director of the Emory Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU). Dr. Spearman currently serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for NCI, frequently serves on study sections for NIAID, and is president-elect of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS). Beyond his research interests, Dr. Spearman is a pediatric ID clinician and enjoys caring for children and mentoring future leaders in Infectious Diseases.

Clinical Interests

Pediatric infectious diseases

Research Interests

HIV assembly; HIV biology/pathogenesis; HIV vaccines; vaccines and therapeutics for children (clinical trials)

Departments

Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Best Doctors 2017-18

My Locations

Burnet Campus

Burnet Campus

3333 Burnet Ave.

Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039

513-636-4200

Directions From

My Education

MD: University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, 1986.

Residency: Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 1986-1990.

Fellowship: Infectious Diseases, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1990-1993.

My Publications

Qi M, Chu H, Chen X, Choi J, Wen X, Hammonds J, Ding L, Hunter E, Spearman P. A tyrosine-based motif in the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein tail mediates cell-type- and Rab11-FIP1C-dependent incorporation into virions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015;112(24):7575-80.

Strauss JD, Hammonds JE, Yi H, Ding L, Spearman P, Wright ER. Three-Dimensional Structural Characterization of HIV-1 Tethered to Human Cells. J Virol. 2015;90(3):1507-21.

Wen X, Ding L, Wang JJ, Qi M, Hammonds J, Chu H, Chen X, Hunter E, Spearman P. ROCK1 and LIM kinase modulate retrovirus particle release and cell-cell transmission events. J Virol. 2014;88(12):6906-21.

Qi M, Williams JA, Chu H, Chen X, Wang JJ, Ding L, Akhirome E, Wen X, Lapierre LA, Goldenring JR, Spearman P. Rab11-FIP1C and Rab14 direct plasma membrane sorting and particle incorporation of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(4):e1003278.

Chu H, Wang JJ, Qi M, Yoon JJ, Chen X, Wen X, Hammonds J, Ding L, Spearman P. Tetherin/BST-2 Is Essential for the Formation of the Intracellular Virus-Containing Compartment in HIV-Infected Macrophages. Cell Host & Microbe. 2012;12(3):360-72.

Hammonds J, Ding L, Chu H, Geller K, Robbins A, Wang JJ, Yi H, Spearman P. The tetherin/BST-2 coiled-coil ectodomain mediates plasma membrane microdomain localization and restriction of particle release. J Virol. 2012;86(4):2259-72.

Spearman P, Lally MA, Elizaga M, Montefiori D, Tomaras GD, McElrath MJ, Hural J, De Rosa SC, Sato A, Huang Y, Frey SE, Sato P, Donnelly J, Barnett S, Corey LJ; HIV Vaccine Trials Network of NIAID. A trimeric, V2-deleted HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein vaccine elicits potent neutralizing antibodies but limited breadth of neutralization in human volunteers. J Infect Dis. 2011;203(8):1165-73.

Hammonds J, Wang JJ, Yi H, Spearman P. Immunoelectron microscopic evidence for Tetherin/BST2 as the physical bridge between HIV-1 virions and the plasma membrane. PLoS Pathog. 2010;6(2):e1000749.

Spearman P, Kalams S, Elizaga M, Metch B, Chiu YL, Allen M, Weinhold KJ, Ferrari G, Parker SD, McElrath MJ, Frey SE, Fuchs JD, Keefer MC, Lubeck MD, Egan M, Braun R, Eldridge JH, Haynes BF, Corey L; NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Safety and immunogenicity of a CTL multiepitope peptide vaccine for HIV with or without GM-CSF in a phase I trial. Vaccine. 2009;27(2):243-249.

Dong X, Li H, Derdowski A, Ding L, Burnett A, Chen X, Peters TR, Dermody TS, Woodruff E, Wang JJ, Spearman P. AP-3 directs the intracellular trafficking of HIV-1 Gag and plays a key role in particle assembly. Cell. 2005;120(5):663-74.