The Whitney Laboratory — Est. 2011
DECODING
VIRAL
PATHOGENESIS
We operate at the intersection of virology, immunology, and translational medicine — leveraging non-human primate models to accelerate the development of vaccines and therapeutics.
02 / Research Domains
Research Domains
01
Viral Pathogenesis & Immune Dynamics
02
Vaccine & Therapeutic Development
03 / Archive
Selected Publications
04 / Leadership
Principal Investigator
Dr. James B. Whitney
Principal Investigator
Dr. Whitney leads a multidisciplinary research program focused on viral pathogenesis, viral and immune dynamics to aid therapeutic and vaccine development utilizing non-human primate models of human disease.
Research Focus
Viral Pathogenesis, HIV/SIV, NHP Models, Immune Therapeutics
06 / In the News
Media Coverage
2026
ASGCT 2026 Annual Meeting
First-in-Primate Demonstration of In Vivo TRAC-CAR T Cell Engineering via Cell-Selective Delivery and Genomic Locus-Specific Integration
Late-breaking oral presentation by Azalea Therapeutics featuring Dr. Whitney as co-author. Study reports the first-in-primate demonstration of site-specific CAR T cell engineering in six rhesus macaques without lymphodepletion, achieving complete CD20+ B cell aplasia in 5/6 animals and deep tissue-level B cell clearance — advancing toward transformative next-generation immunotherapy.
2025
aidsmap
Broadly Neutralising Antibodies Plus Immune Modulator May Delay HIV Rebound
aidsmap coverage of the Phase 1 clinical trial at Rockefeller University (NCT05245292) directly enabled by the 2024 Science paper — translating the NHP findings into the first human proof-of-concept results, with 58% of participants who underwent analytic treatment interruption remaining off ART at 48 weeks, and one participant still suppressed at 125 weeks.
2024
ImmunityBio (NASDAQ: IBRX)
NIAID-Sponsored Study Shows N-803 Combined with Neutralizing Antibodies Could Lead to Sustained HIV Viral Control After Discontinuation of Antiretroviral Therapy
ImmunityBio press release on the N-803 + bNAb combination, which achieved long-term viral control in ~70% of SHIV-infected macaques after ART discontinuation, informing two ongoing Phase 1 human clinical trials.
2024
Wisconsin National Primate Research Center
HIV Treatment Research Advance Is Published in Science
Coverage of the Whitney Laboratory's dual-immunotherapy study showing durable viral remission in SHIV-infected macaques, now advancing to Phase 1 clinical trials.
2024
National Primate Research Centers (NPRC)
HIV Treatment Breakthrough Advances to Clinical Trials
Feature on the N-803 + broadly neutralizing antibody combination therapy led by Dr. Whitney, achieving long-term virus control in ~70% of treated macaques.
2024
ImmunityBio
NIAID-Sponsored Study Shows N-803 Combined with Neutralizing Antibodies Could Lead to Sustained HIV Viral Control
Press release highlighting Dr. Whitney's preclinical findings as the scientific basis for two ongoing Phase 1 human clinical trials at Rockefeller University.
2021
Sanofi / Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Sanofi Acquires Tidal Therapeutics for $470M — MLSC-Funded Industry Collaboration With Dr. Whitney at BIDMC
Sanofi acquired Tidal Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA) for up to $470M in a deal covering its novel mRNA nanoparticle platform for in vivo immune cell reprogramming. Dr. Whitney was named as Principal Investigator in an MLSC-funded industry partnership between Tidal Therapeutics and his laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
2020
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX)
Galidesivir Stops Zika Viral Replication in Primate Model
BioCryst press release naming Dr. Whitney as lead author of the Science Translational Medicine study — galidesivir (BCX4430) was safe, suppressed Zika viremia to undetectable levels across multiple doses, and preserved protective immunity against re-challenge. The preclinical data informed Phase 1 clinical trials of galidesivir in patients with COVID-19, Marburg virus disease, and Yellow Fever.
2020
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)
Treatment With Gilead's Vesatolimod Is Evaluated for Safety and Virologic and Immunologic Response in Phase 1b HIV Functional Cure Study
Gilead press release reporting Phase 1b clinical trial results of vesatolimod (GS-9620), the landmark TLR7 agonist informed by Dr. Whitney's preclinical SIV studies — vesatolimod produced enhanced immune function, reduced intact HIV DNA, and a modestly extended time to viral rebound after treatment interruption, translating the TLR7 agonist strategy to human clinical investigation.
2017
Journal of Infectious Diseases / ACTG 5326
Clinical Trial of the Anti-PD-L1 Antibody BMS-936559 in HIV-1 Infected Participants on Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy
First-in-human Phase I evaluation of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (BMS-936559, anti-PD-L1) in HIV-1 infected adults on suppressive ART — directly enabled by Dr. Whitney's preclinical SIV/NHP studies at BIDMC/HMS. The pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalating study (NCT02028403) showed BMS-936559 was generally well tolerated and appeared to enhance HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell immunity in a subset of participants, providing the first proof-of-concept for checkpoint blockade in healthy HIV-1 infected persons.
2016
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)
Gilead Announces Data From New Preclinical Study Evaluating an Investigational TLR7 Agonist (GS-9620) in SIV-Infected Monkeys
Gilead press release naming Dr. Whitney as Principal Investigator — GS-9620 induced transient SIV RNA blips, reduced SIV DNA, and led to prolonged viral suppression in some macaques after ART cessation. Results presented at CROI 2016 and supported Phase 1b clinical development.
2016
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School
New Insight Into Course and Transmission of Zika Infection
BIDMC press release naming Dr. Whitney as corresponding author of the landmark Nature Medicine study — in one of the first and largest NHP studies of its kind, 36 rhesus and cynomolgus macaques were infected with Zika strains from Puerto Rico and Thailand, revealing rapid neurological invasion, prolonged viral shedding in saliva and semen weeks after blood clearance, and complete protective immunity against re-challenge.
2016
Neuroscience News
New Insight into Course and Transmission of Zika
Feature coverage of the Whitney Laboratory's Nature Medicine study showing extraordinarily high Zika virus levels in the cerebellum of infected macaques soon after infection, prolonged shedding in semen and saliva, and evidence supporting risk of sexual and oral transmission — findings with direct implications for clinical vigilance and fetal health.
2016
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX)
BioCryst Announces Late Breaker Presentation of Galidesivir (BCX4430) Nonclinical Results in Zika Virus Infection at IDWeek 2016
BioCryst press release naming Dr. Whitney as presenter and Principal Investigator at BIDMC/HMS — BCX4430 fully abrogated Zika viremia in rhesus macaques in an early landmark primate study of the broad-spectrum antiviral against ZIKV.
2015
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)
Gilead Announces Preclinical Data for an Investigational TLR7 Agonist in SIV-Infected, Virally Suppressed Monkeys
Gilead press release naming Dr. Whitney as study Principal Investigator at BIDMC/HMS — TLR7 agonist (GS-986) reduced SIV DNA by 30–90% in tissues and lowered viral rebound after ART interruption. Data supported progression of GS-9620 into proof-of-concept HIV studies.
2014
Los Angeles Times
HIV Establishes Viral Reservoirs with Surprising Speed
LA Times science feature on Dr. Whitney's landmark Nature study, noting "we show that the viral reservoir can be seeded substantially earlier than previously recognized" — an important finding for HIV cure research.
2014
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard
New Findings Show Strikingly Early Seeding of HIV Viral Reservoir
Ragon Institute coverage of Dr. Whitney's landmark Nature study from BIDMC, revealing the viral reservoir is established in tissues within days of SIV infection — before viremia is detectable.
2014
Harvard Medical School
Evasive Maneuver: Discovery Presents New Challenges for HIV Eradication Efforts
HMS feature on Dr. Whitney's Nature paper — as first author — demonstrating that the HIV viral reservoir is seeded within the first few days of SIV infection, before detectable viremia.
2013
Nature News
Supercharged Antibodies Fight HIV-Related Virus in Monkeys
Nature News feature on the landmark Nature paper from BIDMC/HMS — Dr. Whitney is a principal author — reporting that a cocktail of broadly neutralizing antibodies drove SHIV to undetectable levels in rhesus macaques within one week, with viral loads remaining suppressed for up to 84 days, directly catalyzing the clinical development of bNAb therapy for HIV.
2013
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard
Monoclonal Antibodies Show Promise As Effective HIV Therapy
Ragon/BIDMC announcement of the Nature paper for which Dr. Whitney is a principal author, showing broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies suppressed viremia to undetectable levels in SHIV-infected macaques.