The Ott Lab

Virologist Viewpoints: For HIV, ‘Manageable' Is No Longer Good Enough Once a godsend, antiretroviral therapy is not what we should settle on. The time has come to finally cure HIV/AIDS.

Antiretroviral therapy transformed #HIV care—now we need a cure. Insights from Melanie Ott on what comes next.

Congrats, Nadia!

The Mac1 ADP-ribosylhydrolase is a therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2 The development of new small molecules demonstrates how pharmacologic inhibition of the coronavirus macrodomain restores innate immunity, leading to reduced viral replication and improved outcomes in ...

🚨 🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨 🚨 "The Mac1 ADP-ribosylhydrolase is a therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2" from @theottlab.bsky.social in @elife.bsky.social

Tune in for our event on TikTok LIVE: “HIV Cure Lab Tour + Q&A"!
📆 Monday, December 1, 2025 at 10am PT

📍 Live on TikTok via
@RaifDerrazi

🔗 Register: tiktok.com/live/event/7...

Beyond Viruses: Expanding the Fight Against Infectious Diseases The newly renamed Gladstone Infectious Disease Institute broadens its mission to address global health threats ranging from antibiotic resistance to infections that cause chronic diseases.

The Gladstone Institute of Virology has taken on a new name: the Gladstone Infectious Disease Institute. Check it out here: gladstone.org/news/beyond-...

With vaccine research under attack, it’s time for California to lead again Halting mRNA research right now is like banning ChatGPT, writes infectious disease expert Melanie Ott — not just scientific negligence, but strategic self-sabotage.

Check out Dr. Melanie Ott's recent opinion piece on the SF Standard: sfstandard.com/opinion/2025...

Portrait cutout of Dr. Melanie Ott with her name and credentials above the image. Text to the left of this reads “Faculty Spotlight.” The ImmunoX logo is in the top left corner on an indigo-purple background with two multicolored circles along the right side.

Connect with Dr. Ott: Website: https://ottlab.gladstone.org/ BlueSky: @theottlab.bsky.social‬

💉🧬 We're kicking off National Immunization Awareness Month with our faculty spotlight, Dr. Melanie Ott! Head to our Instagram to hear her take on how immunizations keep us safe—and how you can help to keep vaccines accessible for all: www.instagram.com/reel/DM_A9Sc...

@theottlab.bsky.social

Congratulations Fran! @franzapatero.bsky.social

Congratulations to @juliaprigann.bsky.social for being awarded the 2025 CFAR Excellence in Basic/Translational Science Award!
cfar.ucsf.edu/user/11703

We are delighted that we could help with this work. Check it out here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lEffL7PXu...

Discovery Spotlight | Could This Molecule Be ‘Checkmate’ for Coronaviruses? Scientists from Gladstone and UCSF have developed drug candidates that could prevent future coronavirus pandemics. These molecules block a critical enzyme ne...

Scientists from Gladstone and UCSF have developed drug candidates that could prevent future coronavirus pandemics.

@theottlab.bsky.social
@ucsfmedicine.bsky.social
@qbi-ucsf.bsky.social

Could This Molecule Be ‘Checkmate’ for Coronaviruses? Scientists develop powerful drug candidates that could head off future coronavirus pandemics.

Scientists develop powerful drug candidates that could head off future coronavirus pandemics.

@theottlab.bsky.social
@ucsfmedicine.bsky.social
@qbi-ucsf.bsky.social

Structure-based discovery of highly bioavailable, covalent, broad-spectrum coronavirus MPro inhibitors with potent in vivo efficacy This study describes a class of potent, bioavailable SARS-CoV-2 MPro inhibitors having an unusual mechanism of inhibition.

🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨 "Structure-based discovery of highly bioavailable, covalent, broad-spectrum coronavirus MPro inhibitors with potent in vivo efficacy"

@theottlab.bsky.social
@ucsfmedicine.bsky.social
@qbi-ucsf.bsky.social

How does measles make us sick? And the damage left in its wake...

🎧 Listen to this podcast featuring virologist Melanie Ott. Ott discusses how measles works and the way it breaks into our body to make us sick.
@theottlab.bsky.social

HIV Persistence: Where We Are Now and Where We Need to Go YouTube video by QBI TV

Thank you to everyone who attended the HIV Mini-Symposium on March 13th!

Our next Mini-Symposium will be September 23, 2025 titled 'Viral Landscapes: How to Comprehensively Monitor Evolutionary Trajectories'. We hope to see you there!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjpe...

Did you know that viruses don’t just infect humans—they also target bacteria in our microbiome? These viruses, called phages, play a crucial role in shaping our health and could be the key to fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In this short, @theottlab.bsky.social explains.

Gladstone's Dr. Melanie Ott speaks about measles, other infectious diseases on KUSI

Virologist Melanie Ott (@theottlab.bsky.social) speaks to KUSI News about the measles outbreak and other infectious diseases.

At Gladstone, researchers are working toward curing HIV for good. Their work also sheds light on how viruses influence our long-term health. Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology explains why curing HIV remains a crucial scientific challenge.

@theottlab.bsky.social

How Bird Flu in Cows Could Impact Public Health | Melanie Ott Explains What does the bird flu outbreak mean for public health? Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology, discusses how H5N1 in cows cou...

What does the bird flu outbreak mean for public health? Virologist Melanie Ott (@theottlab.bsky.social) discusses how H5N1 in cows could affect virus evolution and why increased surveillance is important.

Virologist Viewpoints: The Positive Side Effects of Vaccines Melanie Ott talks about the ongoing measles outbreak, explains how vaccination can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, and shares other positive “side effects” of vaccines.

Melanie Ott talks about the ongoing measles outbreak, explains how vaccination can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, and shares other positive “side effects” of vaccines.

@theottlab.bsky.social

Shaping the Future of HIV Research amfAR interviewed Gladstone Institutes’ Dr. Melanie Ott about her work on HIV, hepatitis C, and other viruses, and the promise of new technologies.

In an interview with @amfarofficial.bsky.social, Melanie Ott (@theottlab.bsky.social), discusses the future of HIV research, and describes how lessons from the field have laid a strong foundation for fighting other viral diseases.

Gladstone recently hosted the German Center for Research and Innovation San Francisco for their Innovation Summit. The event addressed the challenge of sharing data across sectors, institutions, and borders, a key question for global health. Speakers included Melanie Ott (@theottlab.bsky.social)

Shaping the Future of HIV amfAR interviewed Gladstone Institutes’ Dr. Melanie Ott about her work on HIV, hepatitis C, and other viruses, and the promise of new technologies.

HIV research has led to breakthroughs in antiviral treatments & cancer therapies. amfAR’s Dr. Andrea Gramatica & Dr. Melanie Ott (@theottlab.bsky.social) discuss how investing in one virus drives medical innovation. www.amfar.org/news/shaping...

HIV Persistence: Where We Are Now and Where We Need to Go Mini-symposium series on the latest advancements in HIV persistence.

Please join us at our mini-symposium on the latest advancements in HIV persistence next week. gladstone.org/events/hiv-p... via @gladstoneinst.bsky.social

Yesterday we hosted the German Consulate and the German Research Foundation for their Global Innovation Summit at @gladstoneinst.bsky.social Thank you to everyone involved!

Photos by © Barak Shrama

Can you get bird flu from drinking milk? What to know as cows are infected Consumers can safely drink pasteurized milk, despite reports of dairy cattle infected with the new strain of bird flu.

Melanie Ott talks to Newsweek about the risk of bird flu from drinking milk. Check it out!
www.newsweek.com/can-you-get-...

Eric Verdin, MD, President of the Buck Institute in hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging YouTube video by Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Our CEO, Eric Verdin answered questions about the administration’s proposed budget cuts to the NIH at a hearing before the Senate Special Committee on Aging this afternoon. Hear his exchange with Angela Alsobrook D-MD here: youtu.be/XrhHldez1AI

Your questions about bird flu answered by experts H5N1 isn’t going away anytime soon and could become a pandemic. Here are some tips to help you understand your risk

Gladstone virologist Melanie Ott talks to Salon about the #BirdFlu. Read more to learn how you can best understand and manage your risk.

Interesting bioRxiv preprint by a team around Charles Craik, Adam Renslo and @theottlab.bsky.social. Inhibitors for Mpro of coronaviruses based on a dihydrouracil chemotype and a propargyl amide warhead as reactive group to engage the catalytic cysteine. #chemsky #ChemBio www.biorxiv.org/cont...

Thrilled to share our latest work identifying that #SARSCoV2 #Omicron variants harboring an L260F mutation in NSP6 have enhanced replication and pathogenesis. A not so brief thread 🧵