Sudhir Pai Kasturi, PhD
Member, Emory Vaccine Center
Biography
Sudhir Pai Kasturi, PhD, focuses his research in the fields of immunology and vaccinology. He works with nonhuman primate and rodent models to test new vaccines in pre-clinical studies. He also has multidisciplinary interests in the areas of biomedical engineering, biomaterials, immunology and cell and molecular biology, all critical to developing safe and effective vaccines.
Dr. Kasturi’s work is focused on understanding the biological mechanisms (innate and B cell intrinsic) that support long-lived immune responses to HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. He has designed adjuvant delivery systems that substantially increase the longevity of HIV-1 vaccine-specific antibody responses in rhesus macaques. Based on his work, the adjuvant molecule is now tested in phase I clinical trials.
Dr. Kasturi also worked on comprehensively evaluating the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a candidate SARS-CoV-2 specific receptor binding domain (RBD), protein-based vaccine in rhesus macaques. This RBD protein is now approved as a vaccine in India and used in millions of individuals.
Dr. Kasturi holds degrees from the Manipal Institute of Technology in India (Bachelor of Engineering) and the University of Texas at Austin (MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering).