• Virology
• Microbiology
• Vertebrate immune systems
• Ectromelia virus (“mousepox”) and other poxviruses
• Virus/host interactions

Recent publications: (underlined names below indicate undergraduate student co-authors)

• Morgis RA, Haan K, Schrey JM, Zimmerman RM, Hersperger AR. The epidermal growth factor ortholog of ectromelia virus activates EGFR/ErbB1 and demonstrates mitogenic function in vitro. Virology 2021.
• Forsyth KS, Roy NH, Peauroi E, DeHaven BC, Wold ED, Hersperger AR, Burkhardt JK, Eisenlohr LC. Ectromelia-encoded virulence factor C15 specifically inhibits antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells post peptide loading. PLOS Pathogens 2020.
• Frey TR, Forsyth KS, Sheehan MM, DeHaven BC, Pevarnik JG, Hand ES, Pizzorno MC, Eisenlohr LC, Hersperger AR. Ectromelia virus lacking the E3L ortholog is replication-defective and nonpathogenic but does induce protective immunity in a mouse strain susceptible to lethal mousepox. Virology 2018.
• Frey TR, Lehmann MH, Ryan CM, Pizzorno MC, Sutter G, Hersperger AR. Ectromelia virus accumulates less double-stranded RNA compared to vaccinia virus in BS-C-1 cells. Virology 2017.
• Hand ES, Haller SL, Peng C Rothenburg S, Hersperger AR. Ectopic expression of vaccinia virus E3 and K3 cannot rescue ectromelia virus replication in rabbit RK13 cells. PLOS ONE 2015.
• Hersperger AR, Siciliano NA, DeHaven BC, Snook AE, Eisenlohr LC. Epithelial immunization induces polyfunctional CD8+ T-cells and optimal mousepox protection. Journal of Virology 2014.
• Siciliano NA, Hersperger AR, Lacuanan AM, Xu R, Sidney J, Sette A, Sigal LJ, Eisenlohr LC. Impact of distinct poxvirus infections on the specificities and functionalities of CD4+ T-cell responses. Journal of Virology 2014.

Recent student research collaborations:

• Megan Keller ’23, Leah Strausser ’23, Julie Schrey ’21, Michelle Nahrgang ’20, Rose Zimmerman ’19, Kaylyn Haan ’19, Rebecca Morgis ’19, and Sarah Boothman ’18: “Characterization of an epidermal growth factor ortholog encoded by ectromelia virus”
• Julia Pevarnik ’19, Maura Sheehan ’17, and Devin Fisher ’15: “Understanding the mechanism of CD4 T-cell inhibition by ectromelia virus protein B22”
• Colton Ryan ’16 and Tiffany Frey ’17: “Ectromelia virus accumulates less double-stranded RNA compared to vaccinia virus”
• Erin Hand ’15: “Characterization of a mutant ectromelia virus lacking the ability to interfere with dsRNA recognition by host cells”
• Stephanie McMaster ’14: “The study of microtubule dynamics following ectromelia virus infection of mammalian cells in culture”

For more information about the Hersperger Lab, please click here.

BIO 101: Concepts and Connections in Biology

BIO 203: Introduction to Genetics

BIO 321: Microbiology

BIO 325: Molecular Genetics

BIO 329: Virology

BIO 498: Immunology

Selected awards:

• Teacher of Undergraduate Students Travel Award, American Society for Virology (ASV) annual meeting, The Ohio State University (2024)
• Teacher of Undergraduate Students Travel Award, ASV annual meeting, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2022)
• Teacher of Undergraduate Students Registration Award, ASV annual meeting, virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)
• Teacher of Undergraduate Students Travel Award, ASV annual meeting, University of Maryland, College Park (2018)
• Annadora Vesper Shirk Award for Faculty Scholarship, Albright College (2017)
• Phi Beta Kappa, Bucknell University (2005)

Selected grants:

• R01 grant (#AI110542-01A1), Co-principal Investigator (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
  Project period: July 2015 to December 2019
  Project title: “MHCII cross-presentation as a driver of CD4+ T-cell responses to poxviruses”