QBI presents Anthony (Tony) Fehr, an Assistant Professor of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Kansas. Dr. Fehr graduated with a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. At Nebraska, he was introduced to viruses in the Van Etten Lab where he explored the production of small RNAs produced during Chlorella virus infection. From there, he completed his PhD in Microbiology in the lab of Dong Yu at Washington University-St. Louis, where he identified multiple functions of the Human Cytomegalovirus protein pUL21a. Dr. Fehr then began studying coronaviruses (CoVs) as a post-doc in the laboratory of Stanley Perlman at the University of Iowa. There, he carried out multiple projects studying the functions of several CoV genes. In 2018 he accepted a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Kansas.

Research in the Fehr lab focuses on the role of ADP-ribosylation and the factors that mediate this post-translational modification in CoV infection, most notably PARP enzymes and CoV encoded ADP-ribosylhydrolases. The lab is currently defining the role of PARPs in CoV infection and innate immunity. They are also investigating the multiple activities of the CoV encoded macrodomain and are identifying novel inhibitors for this enzyme. Finally, the lab is working to identify the cellular and viral targets of ADP-ribosylation during infection. Dr. Fehr has been supported by several grants from the NIH, including a K22 career transition award, an R35 MIRA for young investigators, and an R21. He is a member of ASV and ASM. At KU, Dr. Fehr teaches virology to undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Fehr's talk will discuss research on the coronavirus macrodomain in a historical perspective. This will include its discovery, initial results, and then the unique and surprising results that have come from his labs work regarding both the CoV macrodomain and its interactions with PARP enzymes. Finally, he will mention some of their work on developing macrodomain inhibitors.

Talk Title: The Coronavirus Macrodomain: Decades of New Surprises

Host: James Fraser