Dr. Konstantin Kousoulas
Director
Professor
Pathobiological Sciences (PBS)
(225) 578-9683

Biography:
Dr. Kousoulas is a professor of virology and biotechnology in the department of pathobiological sciences and director of the division of biotechnology and molecular medicine (BioMMED). He is the Director of the NIH-funded Center in Experimental Infectious Disease Research and the Director of the NIH-funded Louisiana Biomedical Research Network Molecular and Cell Biology Core.

Teaching Interests:
Infectious diseases, Microbiology, Virology, molecular biology, gene therapy, cancer biology and immunology

Research Interests:
Molecular virology, gene therapy, vaccine development, cancer therapeutics

 Awards & Honors:
  • 2010 Rainmaker
  • 2008 Certification of Mentoring Excellence
  • 2004 The Mary Louise Martin Professorship
  • 2000 The Paula and Milton Shepard Professorship
  • 1999 Distinguished Faculty Award
  • 1999 Distinguished Faculty Award
  • 1997 Aesculapian Lecturer Award
  • 1990 Beecham Award for Research Excellence
 Grants:
  • Center for Preclinical Cancer Research Project 1- "Strategic inhibition of EGFR-family signaling using novel peptidomimetic inhibitors of HER-2 for the treatment of osteosarcoma", NIH COBRE, $669,105.00
  • Center for Pre-Clinical Disease Research , National Institutes of Health - NIH, $11,192,691.00
  • Assessment of antivirals for treating feline herpesvirus ocular disease in cats housed in animal shelters utilizing Next-Generation Sequencing., Morris Animal Foundation, $107,204.00
  • In-vitro assessment of antivirals for use against Bovine herpesvirus-related ocular disease, USDA, $7,500.00
  • Center for Translational Viral Oncology Pilot- "Utilization of naturally-occurring canine osteosarcoma to develop virus-based combination immunotherapy strategies that exploit defects in STING signaling", NIH COBRE, $58,399.00
  • Genomic and phylogenetic analysis of Canine herpesvirus isolates using Next-Generation Sequencing, American Kennel Club Health Foundation, $13,775.00
  • Center for Experimental Infectious Disease Research (COBRE) Phase III, NIHNIAID,
  • Herpes simplex therapeutic and preventative vaccines, Louisiana Vaccine Center, $75.00
  • Armadillo immunological assays, NIH: Hansen's Disease Center, $75,000.00
  • FFP2012 aloe vera toxicity, ST&T consultants, $22,000.00
  • L.O.D. aloe vera toxicity, ST&T consultants, $44,000.00
 Publications:
Journal Article, Academic Journal:
  • Novel Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus 1 VC2 Promotes Long-Lasting, Systemic Anti-melanoma Tumor Immune Responses and Increased Survival in an Immunocompetent B16F10-Derived Mouse Melanoma Model., Uche, I; Fowlkes, N; Vu, L; Watanabe, T; Carossino, M; Nabi, R; Del Piero, Fabio; Rudd, J; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2021, Journal of virology , Volume: 95, Number: 3
  • Genomic Analysis for Virulence Determinants in Feline Herpes Virus Type-1 Isolates, Lewin, Andrew; Coghill, Lyndon; McLellan, Gillian; Bentley, Ellison; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2020, Virus Genes , Volume: 56, Number: 1, Pages: 49-57
  • Intramuscular vaccination of mice with the human herpes simplex virus type-1(HSV-1) VC2 vaccine, but not its parental strain HSV-1(F) confers full protection against lethal ocular HSV-1 (McKrae) pathogenesis., Naidu, S; Nabi, R; Cheemarla, N; Stanfield, Brent; Rider, Paul; Jambunathan, N; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Carter, Renee; Del Piero, Fabio; Langohr, Ingeborg; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2020, PloS one , Volume: 15, Number: 2, Pages: e0228252
  • The Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus ORF34 Protein Interacts and Stabilizes HIF-2α via Binding to the HIF-2α bHLH and PAS Domains., Haque, Muzammel; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2019, Journal of virology , Volume: 93, Number: 17
  • Factors Affecting Growth Kinetics and Spontaneous Metastasis in the B16F10 Syngeneic Murine Melanoma Model., Fowlkes, N; Clemons, K; Rider, Paul; Subramanian, Ramesh; Wakamatsu, Nobuko; Langohr, Ingeborg; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2019, Comparative medicine , Volume: 69, Number: 1, Pages: 48-54
  • Intramuscular vaccination of guinea pigs with the live-attenuated human herpes simplex vaccine VC2 stimulates a transcriptional profile of vaginal Th17 and regulatory Tr1 responses., Stanfield, B; Caskey, J; Del Piero, Fabio; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2018, Vaccine , Volume: 36, Number: 20, Pages: 2842-2849
  • Intramuscular vaccination of guinea pigs with the live-attenuated human herpes simplex vaccine VC2 stimulates a transcriptional profile of vaginal Th17 and regulatory Tr1 responses., Stanfield, Brent; Rider, Paul; Caskey, J; Del Piero, Fabio; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2018, Vaccine , Volume: 36, Number: 20, Pages: 2842-2849
  • Intramuscular Immunization of Mice with the Live-Attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1(HSV-1) Vaccine Strain VC2 Expressing the Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) Glycoprotein D (gD) Generates Anti-EHV-1 Immune Responses in Mice, Liu, Shiliang; Stanfield, Brent; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Naidu, Shan; Langohr, Ingeborg; Del Piero, Fabio; Ferracone, Jacqueline; Roy, Alma; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2017, Journal of Virology , Pages: JVI.02445-16
  • Vaccination of rhesus macaques with the live-attenuated HSV-1 vaccine VC2 stimulates the proliferation of mucosal T cells and germinal center responses resulting in sustained production of highly neutralizing antibodies., Stanfield, Brent; Pahar, B; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Veazey, R; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2017, Vaccine , Volume: 35, Number: 4, Pages: 536-543
  • A recombinant fusion protein consisting of West Nile virus envelope domain III fused in-frame with equine CD40 ligand induces antiviral immune responses in horses., Liu, S; Haque, Muzammel; Stanfield, Brent; Andrews, Frank; Roy, Alma; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2017, Veterinary microbiology , Volume: 198, Pages: 51-58
  • Bovine herpesvirus type-1 glycoprotein K (gK) interacts with UL20 and is required for infectious virus production., Haque, Muzammel; Stanfield, Brent; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2016, Virology , Volume: 499, Pages: 156-164
  • Draft Genome Sequences of Edwardsiella ictaluri Strains LADL11-100 and LADL11-194 Isolated from Zebrafish Danio rerio., Wang, R; Tekedar, H; Lawrence, M; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Kim, J; Kim, N; Kousoulas, Konstantin; Hawke, John, 2015, Genome announcements , Volume: 3, Number: 6
  • Deletion of a Predicted β-Sheet Domain within the Amino Terminus of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein K Conserved among Alphaherpesviruses Prevents Virus Entry into Neuronal Axons., Jambunathan, N; Charles, A; Subramanian, R; Saied, A; Naderi, M; Rider, P; Brylinski, M; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2015, Journal of virology , Volume: 90, Number: 5, Pages: 2230-9
  • Herpes Simplex Vaccines: Prospects of Live-attenuated HSV Vaccines to Combat Genital and Ocular infections., Stanfield, B; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2015, Current clinical microbiology reports , Volume: 2, Number: 3, Pages: 125-136
  • Herpes Simplex Vaccines: Prospects of Live-attenuated HSV Vaccines to Combat Genital and Ocular infections., Stanfield, Brent; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2015, Current clinical microbiology reports , Volume: 2, Number: 3, Pages: 125-136
  • Oral administration of a Spirulina extract enriched for Braun-type lipoproteins protects mice against influenza A (H1N1) virus infection., Pugh, N; Edwall, D; Lindmark, L; Kousoulas, Konstantin; Iyer, A; Haron, M; Pasco, D, 2015, Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology , Volume: 22, Number: 2, Pages: 271-6
  • Impact and Regulation of Lambda Interferon Responses in Human Metapneumovirus Infection, Banos-Lara, Rocio; Harvey, Lindsey ; Mendoza, Alex; Simms, Dawn; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Wakamatsu, Nobuko; Kousoulas, Konstantin; Guerrero-Plata, M, 2015, Journal of Virology , Volume: 89, Number: 1, Pages: 730-742
  • A single intramuscular vaccination of mice with the HSV-1 VC2 virus with mutations in the glycoprotein K and the membrane protein UL20 confers full protection against lethal intravaginal challenge with virulent HSV-1 and HSV-2 strains., Stanfield, Brent; Stahl, J; Chouljenko, Vladimir; Subramanian, Ramesh; Charles, A; Saied, A; Walker, J; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2014, PloS one , Volume: 9, Number: 10, Pages: e109890
  • Single dose of glycoprotein K (gK)-deleted HSV-1 live-attenuated virus protects mice against lethal vaginal challenge with HSV-1 and HSV-2 and induces lasting T cell memory immune responses., Iyer, A; Pahar, B; Chouljenko, V; Walker, J; Stanfield, Brent; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2013, Virology journal , Volume: 10, Pages: 317
  • The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ORF34 protein binds to HIF-1α and causes its degradation via the proteasome pathway., Haque, Muzammel; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2013, Journal of virology , Volume: 87, Number: 4, Pages: 2164-73
  • Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus glycoproteins B and K8.1 regulate virion egress and synthesis of vascular endothelial growth factor and viral interleukin-6 in BCBL-1 cells, Subramanian, R; Sehgal, Inder; D'Auvergne, O; Kousoulas, Konstantin, 2010, J. Virol. , Volume: 84, Number: 4, Pages: 1704-14
Other:
  • Utilizing microbes to treat naturally-occurring cancer in veterinary species, Withers, Sita; Sparger, Elizabeth; Boudreaux, Bonnie; Mason, Nicola, 2019
Journal Article, Professional Journal:
  • Inhibition of cell adhesion and immune responses in the mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis with a peptidomimetic that blocks CD2-CD58 interface interactions, Gokhale, A; Sable, R; Walker, J; Wilson, Leslie; Kousoulas, Konstantin; Joie, S, 2015, Polymers