Craig B. Wilen M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology

Expertise: 

Norovirus, Coronavirus, vaccines, tuft cells, viral pathogenesis

Description: 

The long-term goal of my laboratory is to understand how viruses interact with the host, microbiome, and environment to cause disease at mucosal barrier surfaces. We employ genome-wide CRISPR screening, organoid culture, single-cell RNA sequencing, and mouse models to accomplish these aims. We focus on respiratory and intestinal viruses, including coronaviruses, noroviruses, and emerging RNA viruses. We previously performed a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify host genes essential for murine norovirus (MNV) infection. This led to our identification of the CD300lf protein as the receptor for MNV, the first receptor for a norovirus of any animal species. This led us to identify a rare population of epithelial cells called tuft cells that express CD300lf and are the physiologic target cell of MNV in the intestines. Current work is focused on how infected tuft cells evade the immune system and the development of novel norovirus vaccine approaches.

We are also focused on determining the host genes that regulate infection and pathogenesis of highly pathogenic coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. We use genome-wide CRISPR screening, single-cell RNA sequencing, organoid culture, and animal models to discover novel virus-epithelial interactions of human coronaviruses and to identify new therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Wilen received his A.B. in Biology and Economics at Washington University in St. Louis, his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His residency training was in clinical pathology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and his post-doc was at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Wilen is currently an Associate Professor in Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology.

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Office: 
203-737-1529