Gary Whittaker, PhD
James Law Professor of Virology
Director of Graduate Studies, Graduate Field of Public Health and Planetary Health
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Department of Public & Ecosystem Health
Feline Health ResearchDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
T8-016C Veterinary Research Tower
Ithaca, NY 14853
Department of Public & Ecosystem Health
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Ithaca, NY 14853
Profile
Research/Clinical Interests
The structure and function of viral envelope proteins—how genomic mutations lead to changes in the envelope proteins and control viral pathogenesis in influenza viruses and coronaviruses—SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and feline coronaviruses; novel vaccines and diagnostic test development.
Dr. Whittaker's FIP research is highlighted in this video.
Education
Ph.D. (University of Leeds, UK)
Biography/Professional Experience
Dr. Whittaker studied Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of Leeds (UK). He was awarded a PhD degree in 1991, with a focus on the glycoproteins of herpesviruses. He then did post-doctoral studies on influenza virus at Yale Medical School before moving to Cornell in 1996, where his research is focused on coronaviruses of humans and animals. He is a currently a Professor in the Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Public & Ecosystem Health
Awards and Honors
Pfizer/Zoetis Animal Health Award for Research Excellence (2001)
Professional/Academic Affiliations
Publications
Selected Publications
- Belouzard, S., Chu. V.C. and Whittaker, G.R. (2009). Activation of the SARS-coronavirus spike protein via sequential proteolytic cleavage at two distinct sites. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106: 5871-5876.
- Healey, E.A., André, N.M., Miller, A.D., Whittaker, G.R., Berliner E.A. (2022). An outbreak of FIP in a cohort of shelter-housed cats: molecular analysis of the feline coronavirus S1/S2 cleavage site consistent with a “circulating virulent-avirulent” theory of FIP pathogenesis. J.Feline Med. Surg. Open Rep., doi:10.1177/20551169221074226.
- Shapira, T., Monreal, I.A., Dion, S.P., Buchholz, D.W., Imbiakha, B., Olmstead, A.D., Jager, M., Désilets, A., Gao, G., Martins, M., Vandal, T., Thompson, C.A.H., Chin, A., Rees, W.D., Steiner, T., Nabi, I.R., Marsault, E., Sahler, J., Diel, D., Van de Walle, G., August, A., Whittaker, G.R., Boudreault, P-L., Leduc, R., Aguilar, H.C., Jean, F. (2022). A TMPRSS2 inhibitor acts as a pan-SARS-CoV-2 prophylactic and therapeutic. Nature 605: 340–348.
- Olarte-Castillo, X.A, Licitra, B., André, N.M., Sierra M., Mason, C., Goodman, L.B. and Whittaker, G.R. (2023). Intra-host variation in the spike S1/S2 region of a feline coronavirus type-1 in a cat with persistent infection. BIORXIV. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.31.551356v1
- Carten, J.D., Khelashvili, G., Bidon, M., Straus, M.R. Tang, T., Whittaker G.R. Weinstein, H., and Daniel, S. (2024). A mechanistic understanding of the modes of Ca2+ ion binding to the SARS-CoV-1 fusion peptide and their role in the dynamics of host membrane penetration ACS Infectious Diseases. acsinfecdis.3c00260
- Jaimes, J.A, Millet, J. K. Stout, A.E., André, N.M. and Whittaker G.R. (2020). A tale of two viruses: The distinct spike glycoproteins of feline coronaviruses. Viruses 12, 83.
- Gamble, A., Olarte-Castillo, X.A. and Whittaker, G.R. (2023). Backyard Zoonoses: The Roles of Companion Animals and Peri-Domestic Wildlife. Science Translational Medicine, 18 Oct 2023, Vol 15, Issue 718. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adj003
- Licitra, B. and Whittaker, G.R. (2023) Coronavirus infections (canine and feline) including feline infectious peritonitis, pp. 1050-1059, in Ettinger’s Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 9th edition, 2023, eds. Ettinger, S.J., Feldman E.C. and Coté, E. (Elsevier). ISBN: 9780323779319.