Leading virologist Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas joined Rational Vaccines as vice president of Scientific Affairs where he will work to further the company’s core mission of eradicating the world of the herpes simplex virus (HSV), the company announced today.
“Dr. Kousoulas is one of the world’s most eminent virologists. His work in the field of HSV gives hopes to the millions of patients who are in desperate need of a better standard of care and to all of us who work to defeat this heinous virus,” said Rational Vaccines CEO Agustin Fernandez. “No one understands this virus better than Gus. His addition to the team brings us one step closer to our goal of eradicating the Herpes pandemic.”
Kousoulas is a professor of virology and biotechnology in the Louisiana State University Department of Pathobiological Sciences and director of the Division of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine (BioMMED).
Kousoulas’ research focuses primarily on the molecular biology and the immunopathogenesis of human herpes viruses. He has extensively utilized herpes simplex viral vectors for vaccine development and cancer treatment. He has also constructed and patented herpes simplex viruses that have been shown to be highly effective as preventative and therapeutic vaccines for herpes genital and ocular infections as well as potent adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy approaches in animal models.
Kousoulas’ work has been published in a variety of scientific publications including the Journals of Veterinary Microbiology and Journal of Virology as well as featured by news outlets around the globe. He received his Master’s and doctorate degrees from Pennsylvania State University in Biophysics and Molecular Cell Biology, respectively. Kousoulas received postdoctoral training under Dr. Bernard Roizman at the University of Chicago and with Dr. Lenore Pereira at the University of California at San Francisco.
About Rational Vaccines
Rational Vaccines develops rationally engineered, live attenuated viral immunotherapeutic and prophylactic vaccine candidates, particularly focused on combating all diseases resulting from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infections. Led by our team of world-renowned scientists and closely following all regulatory guidelines, the company currently has seven vaccine candidates in the pipeline. We are confident our team and technology will revolutionize the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of herpes and herpes-related diseases so we can bring hope and healing to a world suffering from these recurring infections. Based in Cambridge, MA, Rational Vx is also joining the battle against COVID-19 with a serological assay currently in development, and a future COVID-19 vaccine planned. For more information go to https://rationalvaccines.com or email information@rationalvaccines.com.
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