Boston University · Microbiology & ImmunologyConnor Lab
John H Connor · Boston, Massachusetts
Research Focus
The lab of Dr. John H. Connor at Boston University focuses on developing new antiviral medications targeting poxviruses, including those that cause smallpox and mpox. The team is working on a new class of antiviral compounds known as pyridopyrimidinones, which aim to inhibit viral replication by interfering with viral RNA synthesis. By utilizing various in vitro and animal models, the lab hopes to create effective, safe treatments for poxviral infections that are crucial for public health.
poxvirusantiviralsmallpoxmpoxdrug development
Research Aims
5AIM 01Develop small molecules that effectively inhibit poxviral replication.
AIM 02Optimize the structure-activity relationships of pyridopyrimidinones.
AIM 03Evaluate antiviral efficacy in newly-developed assays against mpox clades.
AIM 04Characterize the mechanism of action of PDPMs on viral machinery.
AIM 05Advance lead candidates toward first-in-human testing.
Skills the Lab Values
medicinal chemistryin vitro assaysanimal modelsviral cultureRNA polymerase inhibition
Output against the department
Publications218top 29% of dept.140th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations8.2ktop 44% of dept.213th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.