![Merlin Robb](/sites/default/files/styles/card_split/public/2024-08/Merlin-Robb-web.png?h=7bd8beb2&itok=sN5cm2yo)
Merlin Robb, MD
I have had over 30 years of experience in HIV prevention research and care/treatment activities and over 20 years of research regarding emerging infectious disease threats. My interests include HIV transmission and pathogenesis research, perinatal and pediatric HIV care, acute HIV infection and immune based interventions to mitigate HIV acquisition and disease. I have developed cohorts for evaluation of HIV vaccines and definition of key pathogenic events in early acute infection. In collaboration with other investigators, I am developing interventions to be applied in the setting of acute infection or with patients who began HAART early in acute infection where the reservoir and viral diversity are more restricted and both the likelihood of success and learning key targets of intervention are optimal. I worked within the vaccine development group of “Operation Warp Speed” actively participating in study design and analysis of multiple vaccine development programs.
Internship, Pediatrics, Madigan Army Medical Center
Residency, Pediatrics, Madigan Army Medical Center
Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, USUHS and Walter Army Medical Center
Rapid seeding of the viral reservoir prior to SIV viraemia in rhesus monkeys. Nature. 2014 Aug 7;512(7512):74-7. doi: 10.1038/nature13594. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 25042999 |
Crowell TA, Colby DJ, Pinyakorn S, Sacdalan C, Pagliuzza A, Intasan J, Benjapornpong K, Tangnaree K, Chomchey N, Kroon E, de Souza MS, Tovanabutra S, Rolland M, Eller MA, Paquin-Proulx D, Bolton DL, Tokarev A, Thomas R, Takata H, Trautmann L, Krebs SJ, Modjarrad K, McDermott AB, Bailer RT, DoriaRose N, Patel B, Gorelick RJ, Fullmer BA, Schuetz A, Grandin PV, O'Connell RJ, Ledgerwood JE, Graham BS, Tressler R, Mascola JR, Chomont N, Michael NL, Robb ML, Phanuphak N, Ananworanich J; RV397 Study Group. Safety and efficacy of VRC01 broadly neutralising antibodies in adults with acutely treated HIV (RV397): a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet HIV. 2019 Apr 15. pii: S2352-3018(19)30053-0. PMID: 31000477. |
Erica N. Borducchi, Crystal Cabral, Kathryn E. Stephenson, Jinyan Liu, Peter Abbink, David Ng’ang’a, Joseph P. Nkolola, Amanda L. Brinkman, Lauren Peter, Benjamin C. Lee, Jessica Jimenez, David Jetton, Jade Mondesir, Shanell Mojta, Abishek Chandrashekar, Katherine Molloy, Galit Alter, Jeff M. Gerold, Alison L. Hill, Mark G. Lewis, Maria G. Pau, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Joseph Hesselgesser, Romas Geleziunas6, Jerome H. Kim, Merlin L. Robb, Nelson L. Michael, and Dan H. Barouch. Ad26/MVA Therapeutic Vaccination with TLR7 Stimulation in SIV-Infected Rhesus Monkeys. Nature. 2016 Dec 8;540(7632):284- 287. doi: 10.1038/nature20583. PMID: 27841870 |
Rerks-Ngarm S, Pitisuttithum P, Nitayaphan S, Kaewkungwal J, Chiu J, Paris R, Premsri N, Namwat C, de Souza M, Adams E, Benenson M, Gurunathan S, Tartaglia J, McNeil JG, Francis DP, Stablein D, Birx DL, Chunsuttiwat S, Khamboonruang C, Thongcharoen P, Robb ML, Michael NL, Kunasol P, Kim JH; MOPH-TAVEG Investigators. Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to prevent HIV-1 infection in Thailand. N Engl J Med. 2009 Dec 3;361(23):2209-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0908492. Epub 2009 Oct 20. PubMed PMID: 19843557. |
Ehrenberg PK, Shangguan S, Issac B, Alter G, Geretz A, Izumi T, Bryant C, Eller MA, Wegmann F, Apps R, Creegan M, Bolton DL, Sekaly RP, Robb ML, Gramzinski RA, Pau MG, Schuitemaker H, Barouch DH, Michael NL, Thomas R. A vaccine-induced gene expression signature correlates with protection against SIV and HIV in multiple trials. Sci Transl Med. 2019 Aug 28;11(507) PMID: 31462510. |
Gray GE, Huang Y, Grunenberg N, Laher F, Roux S, Andersen-Nissen E, De Rosa SC, Flach B, Randhawa AK, Jensen R, Swann EM, Bekker LG, Innes C, Lazarus E, Morris L, Mkhize NN, Ferrari G,Montefiori DC, Shen X, Sawant S, Yates N, Hural J, Isaacs A, Phogat S, DiazGranados CA, Lee C, Sinangil F, Michael NL, Robb ML, Kublin JG, Gilbert PB, McElrath MJ, Tomaras GD, Corey L. Immune correlates of the Thai RV144 HIV vaccine regimen in South Africa. Sci Transl Med. 2019 Sep 18;11(510) PMID: 31534016. |
Bruce K. Brown, Josephine Cox, Anita Gillis, Thomas C. VanCott, Mary Marovich, Mark Milazzo, Tanya Santelli Antonille, Lindsay Wieczorek, Kelly T. McKee, Jr., Karen Metcalfe, Raburn M. Mallory, Deborah Birx, Victoria R. Polonis, Merlin L. Robb. A Phase 1 Study of Safety and Immunogenicity of E. coli-Derived Recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA), a New Anthrax Vaccine Administered by the Intramuscular (IM) Route in Healthy Adults. PLoS One. 2010 Nov 15;5(11):13849. |
Kibuuka H, Berkowitz NM, Millard M, Enama ME, Tindikahwa A, Sekiziyivu AB, Costner P, Sitar S, Glover D, Hu Z, Joshi G, Stanley D, Kunchai M, Eller LA, Bailer RT, Koup RA, Nabel GJ, Mascola JR, Sullivan NJ, Graham BS, Roederer M, Michael NL, Robb ML, Ledgerwood JE; RV 247 Study Team. Safety and immunogenicity of Ebola virus and Marburg virus glycoprotein DNA vaccines assessed separately and concomitantly in healthy Ugandan adults: a phase 1b, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Lancet. 2015 Apr 18;385(9977):1545-54. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62385-0. Epub 2014 Dec 23. PubMed PMID: 25540891 |
Area of Research
Institution Affiliations
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, USU
Senior Investigator, HJF component of WRAIR Military HIV Research Program and Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch