NAME: X.J. Meng, M.D., Ph.D.

TITLE: Associate Professor of Molecular Virology

AREA OF SPECIALIZATION: Molecular Virology

EXTERNAL RESEARCH GRANTS (PAST 3 YEARS):

(1). USDA- National Research Initiative Competitive Grant Programs (USDANRI 2003-02205). PI, $175,000. 02/01/04 - 01/31/06. Title: Chimeric infectious DNA clones to study type 2 porcine circovirus replication and pathogenesis.

(2). USDA-NRICGP (2002-35204-12531). PI, $125,000. 9/01/2002 - 8/31/2004. Title: Serological and molecular epidemiology of avian hepatitis E virus, an emerging virus causing hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome in chickens.

(3). NIH, NIAID (R01 AI50611). PI, $868,560. 6/15/2002 - 6/14/2006. Title: A chicken model to study hepatitis E virus pathogenesis.

(4). NIH, NIAID (R01 AI46505). PI, $187,035. 8/1/2000 - 7/31/2003. Title: Zoonotic and xenozoonotic risks of hepatitis E virus.

(5). NIH, NIAID (K22 AI01653). PI, $268,241. 9/1/1999 - 8/31/2002. Title: Pathogenesis of the hepatitis E virus: a swine model.

(6). National Pork Board, 5/1/2001 - 4/30/2002. PI, $21,900. Title: Assessment of the Zoonotic Risk of Swine Hepatitis E Virus Infection in U.S. Swine Veterinarians.

(7). American Cancer Society (IRG-99-225-01). 7/1/1999 - 6/31/2002. PI (2001-2002), $127,500. Title: Virginia Tech Institutional Research Grant.

(8). American Cancer Society. 7/1/1999 - 6/31/2000. PI, $20,000. Title: Transcriptional regulation of growth factors by the hepatitis C virus core protein.

(9). Genentech, Inc. 9/1/2002-8/31/2003. PI, $65,704. Title: Risk assessment of porcine circovirus contamination in raw materials and porcine-derived products.

(10). Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. 10/1/2001 - 9/30/2002. PI, $52,541. Title: Development of a Heteroduplex Mobility Assay to detect and differentiate PRRSV vaccine from PRRSV vaccine derivatives and filed strains of PRRSV.

(11). Fort Dodge Animal Health Innovation Grant Award. PI, $208,139 . 1/1/2000 - 12/31/2003. Title: Characterization of porcine circovirus associated with postweaning multisystematic wasting syndrome (PMWS): a study towards development of a vaccine against PMWS.

(12). Fort Dodge Animal Health Innovation Grant Award. PI, $24,990. 9/1/2000 - 8/31/2001. Title: A Novel Virus Associated with Hepatitis-Spleenomegaly Syndrome in Chickens: Preliminary characterization.

(13).USDA- National Research Initiative Competitive Grant Programs (USDANRI 2003-05164). Co-PI (PI: M. Murtaugh), $4,400,000. 01/01/04 - 12/31/07. Title: Integrated control and elimination of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in the U.S.

(14). Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. 10/1/2001 - 9/30/2002. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $55,632. Title: Pathogenesis of vaccine-like strains of PRRSV.

(15). Pfizer Animal Health, Inc. 02/01/02 - 01/31/03. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $64,896. Title: Control of PMWS with Parvovirus Vaccine.

(16). Thai Research Foundation Grant (award #TRG4580023). 8/01/2002 - 7/31/2005. Mentor (PI: P. Lekcharoensuk), 240,000 bahts.. Title: Epitope mapping of the major capsid protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and biological characterization of PCV1/PCV2 chimeras containing the epitopes.

(17). Iowa Livestock Health Advisory Council. 07/01/03 - 06/30/04. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG). $25,000. Title: Porcine circovirus type 2 and mycoplasma hyopneumoniae model.

(18). Iowa Livestock Health Advisory Council. 07/01/02 - 06/30/03. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG). $25,000. Title: Transmission routes of hepatitis E virus.

(19). National Pork Board. 05/01/2002 - 04/30/2003. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $36,564. Title: Determination of the Presence and Infectivity of Swine Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Swine Manure Storage Facilities and Nearby Water Sources.

(20). National Pork Board. 5/1/2001 - 4/30/2002. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $25,000. Title: Comparative pathogenicity of porcine circovirus type 2 isolates from healthy pigs and pigs with severe postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS).

(21). Iowa Livestock Health Advisory Council. 7/1/2001 - 6/30/2002. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $20,000. Title: A molecular approach to study the pathogenesis of porcine circovirus type-2-associated postwaening multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS).

(22). National Pork Producers Council. 5/1/1999 - 4/30/2000. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $25,000. Title: Transmission of swine hepatitis E virus in frozen pork.

(23). Healthy Livestock Initiative. 7/1/1999 - 6/30/2000. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $20,000. Title: Potential for transmission of swine HEV by xenotransplantation and pork consumption.

(24). National Pork Producers Council. 5/1/1999 - 4/30/2000. Co-I (PI: Halbur PG), $33, 064. Title: Understanding Swine hepatitis E virus infection and immunity.

RESEARCH INTEREST:

Dr. Meng's research areas involve studying the molecular mechanism of viral replication and pathogenesis and developing vaccines against viral diseases. He is particularly interested in emerging, re-emerging and zoonotic viral diseases.  Viruses currently being studied in Dr. Meng's lab include the human, swine and avian hepatitis E viruses, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circoviruses, and SASR-associated coronaviruses.

ACADEMIC HONORS AND AWARDS:

Recipient, “An Outstanding Editorial Board Member” honor as voted by the editors of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2003.

Recipient, Clifton Garvin Fellowship Award, Virginia Tech, May 2002.

Recipient, The 2001 Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, Pfizer Inc. June, 2001.

Recipient, NIAID Research Scholar Development Award, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, September 1999.

Recipient, NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, Oct. 1997.

Recipient, The 1996 Zaffarano Prize for Research Excellence, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, April 1996.

Full Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, April 1996.

Recipient, John E. Fogarty visiting scientist fellowship award, The John E. Fogarty Intl Ctr for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, NIH, Bethesda, MD, Sept. 1995.

Recipient, Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, Aug. 1995.

Recipient, CRWAD Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation Award, American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, Chicago, IL, November 1992.

Editorial Board member, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1999 – present.

Editorial Board member, The Infectious Disease Review, 2000 – 2002.

Editorial Board member, Comparative Hepatology, 2002 – present.

Editorial Board member, Current Trends in Microbiology, 2003 – present.

Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer for 19 Journals including: Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Virology, Journal of General Virology, Journal of Medical Virology, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

NIH, NCRR Comparative Medicine Study Section Special Emphasis Panel, 2002-2003. Harvard Medical School site visit (August 26-28, 2002); Tulane University Health Sciences Center (site visit January 7-9, 2003).

DOD's Military Intramural Infectious Diseases Research Program Panel member, (Chair on Viral Hepatitis Section for FY1999 and FY2000 Annual Reports; MIDRP Virology Panel member 2001-present).

Ad Hoc reviewers for 12 grant agencies including NIH, USDA, U.S. DOD, NSF, U.S. State Department, and American Cancer Society.

Invited symposium guest speaker. American Society for Microbiology 104th Annual Meeting. Title: Hepatitis E virus: cross species infection. New Orleans, LA. May 25, 2004.

Invited seminar speaker. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Title: Hepatitis E virus: cross species infection and animal models. Atlanta, GA. March 19, 2004.

Invited special conference guest speaker. 11^th Annual Iowa State Univ Swine Disease Conference. Title: Comparative Virology—human vs animal pathogens (what can be learned from emerging human pathogens. Ames, Iowa. Nov. 6-7, 2003.

Invited seminar speaker. Ohio State Univ College of Vet Medicine. Title: Novel animal strains of hepatitis E virus: is hepatitis E a zoonosis? Worster, OH. May 23, 2003.

Invited honorable special luncheon seminar speaker (Minophagen Lecturer) at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology. Title: Recent advance in hepatitis E research. Tokyo, Japan, April 24-26, 2003.

Invited guest symposium speaker at the 2003 Meetings of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. Title: Potential public health concerns in regards to swine hepatitis E virus? Orlando, FL. Mar. 10, 2003.

Invited seminar speaker, St. Louis University Department of Molecular Microbiology, St. Louis, MO. Title: Comparative pathogenesis of hepatitis E viruses using the newly discovered swine and avian HEVs as models. Nov. 7, 2002.

Invited seminar speaker, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. Title: Comparative pathogenesis of emerging swine and avian hepatitis E viruses. Nov. 6, 2002.

Invited Seminar speaker. USDA-ARS, Beltsville National Research Center. Title: Avian and swine hepatitis E virus: risk for zoonosis. November 2001.

Invited Symposium speaker. Veterinary Virology Symposium at the American Society for Virology 20th Annual Meeting. Title: Novel animal strains of hepatitis E viruses: is hepatitis E a zoonosis? July 25, 2001, Madscin, WI.

Invited Seminar Speaker. University of Maryland, College Park, MD. April, 2001. Title: Hepatitis E Virus: Zoonosis and Xenozoonosis.

Invited Grand Round seminar speaker, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Galveston, TX. Sept. 18, 2000. Title: Novel strains of hepatitis E viruses identified from humans and other animal species: is hepatitis E a zoonosis?

Invited conference speaker, IBC-USA BSP 2000 Conference, Washington, DC, June 20-23, 2000. Title: Xenozoonotic risk of swine hepatitis E virus.

Invited seminar speaker, PPL Therapeutics, Inc. Blacksburg, VA. Oct. 15, 1999. Title: Virus risks in xenotransplantation.

Invited symposium speaker, Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, Minneapolis, MN. Sept. 18-20, 1999. Title: Risk of hepatitis E virus in xenotransplantation.

Invited symposium speaker. The Fifth International Symposium on Positive Strand RNA Viruses. St. Petersburg, FL, May 23, 1998. Title: Genetic and experimental evidences for cross-species infection by the swine hepatitis E virus.

Invited seminar speaker. Department of Pathobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, April 1, 1998. Title: Discovery of the novel swine hepatitis E virus: is human hepatitis E a zoonotic disease ?

NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS:

A total of 104 referred papers published in peer-reviewed journals since 1987.

Five Representative Publications:

Meng, X.J., R.H. Purcell, P.G. Halbur, J.R. Lehman, D.M. Webb, T.S. Tsareva, J.S. Haynes, B.J. Thacker, and S.U. Emerson (1997). A novel virus in swine is closely related to the human hepatitis E virus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 94:9860-9865.

Meng, X.J., P.G. Halbur, M. Shapiro, S. Govindarajan, J.D. Bruna, I. K. Mushahwar, R.H. Purcell, and S.U. Emerson (1998). Genetic and experimental evidence for cross-species infection by the swine hepatitis E virus. Journal of Virology. 72:9714-9721.

Fenaux, M., P.G. Halbur, G. Haqshenas, R. Royer, P. Nawagitgul, M. Gill, T.E. Toth, and X.J. Meng (2002). The cloned genomic DNA of the type-2 porcine circovirus (PCV-2) is infectious when injected into the liver and lymph nodes of SPF pigs: characterization of clinical course, virus distribution and pathological lesions. Journal of Virology. 76:541-551.

Opriessnig T., P.G. Halbur, K.J. Yoon, R.M. Pogranichniy, E.M. Vaughn, K.M. Harmon, R.Evans, K.F. Key, F.J. Pallares, P. Thomas, X.J. Meng (2002). Comparison of molecular and biological characteristics of a modified live PRRSV vaccine (RespPRRS/Repro™), the parent strain of the vaccine (VR2332), ATCC VR2385, and two recent field isolates of PRRSV. Journal of Virology. 76:11837-11844.

Meng, X.J. (2003). Swine hepatitis E virus: cross-species infection and risk in xenotransplantation. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology. 278:185-216.