University of Pennsylvania · Microbiology & ImmunologyWeiss Lab
Susan R Weiss · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Susan R. Weiss's lab at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on understanding how different types of coronaviruses interact with the human immune system. They study how these viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 and MERS, evade immune responses and lead to varying disease severities. The lab also examines the nasal epithelial cells, the first line of defense against these infections, to find ways to improve treatments and prepare for future outbreaks.
coronavirusSARS-CoV-2MERS-CoVhost immune responsenasal epithelial cellsantiviral therapiesviral replicationinnate immunityinflamationpathogenesis
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of betacoronaviruses in activating or evading host immune responses.
AIM 02Examine how viral proteins influence the innate immune response during infection.
AIM 03Identify host genetic factors that impact susceptibility to severe COVID-19.
AIM 04Characterize the replication and cytopathic effects of various coronaviruses in nasal epithelial cells.
AIM 05Develop potential therapeutic strategies targeting both viral and host pathways.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureair-liquid interface culturesgenotypingRNA extractionPCRprotein expression analysisvirus infection assayscytokine measurementmicroscopybioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications345top 12% of dept.58th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations18ktop 21% of dept.104th 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.