Elankumaran SubbiahsElankumaran Subbiah currently is investigating transmission of swine viruses between species. He is trying to develop vaccines based on using a vector to carry harmless agents into cells to kill viruses, especially ways to halt emerging diseases. In general, his research covers the development of novel, non-invasive immunization strategies for control of emerging viral diseases.

Subbiah is a virologist in the Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology and a member of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease.

He has been at Virginia Tech for the past three years in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. For the previous seven years he was in the college on the College Park campus of the University of Maryland. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate at the Madras Veterinary College in Madras, India.

Paul Christopher (Chris) RobertsPaul Christopher (Chris) Roberts is a virologist in the Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology. He has developed a novel vaccine technology, which has broad applicability to almost all viruses.

Currently his laboratory has vaccines in development that target:

*Human and Avian Influenza viruses

*HIV using a virus-like particle production

*Ebola/Marburg using a virus-like particle production

Roberts is also investigating how bacteria can exacerbate respiratory diseases because most influenza-associate deaths result from secondary bacterial infections. He has a mouse model of dual viral and bacterial infections. The Roberts research team also is evaluating the use of immunotherapy and virotherapy as ways to combat ovarian cancer.

Roberts has been at Virginia Tech in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine since 2007 and is part of the soon to be launched Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. He earned his bachelor's degree at Davidson College, Davidson, NC; his master's degree and doctorate in microbiology and virology at Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Marburg, Germany.