Manish Sagar, MD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Manish Sagar is a Professor of Medicine at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. His laboratory is primarily interested in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mucosal HIV-1 transmission and antibodies. One of the focuses is to understand the biological mechanisms for the selection observed during HIV-1 transmission. Even though chronically infected subjects harbor extensive variants during transmission, only a limited number of viruses are acquired by newly infected partners. Genotypic examination of viruses present in the newly infected subject compared to those circulating in the transmitting partner suggests that the observed genetic bottleneck during transmission is not due to random chance. Laboratory studies explore the hypothesis that during transmission there is selection of specific variants with properties that confer fitness for transmission.

Another focus in the lab is to decipher correlate of immune protection. Even though infants are exposed to infected breast milk, only a small proportion (around 30%) acquire HIV-1 from their infected mother in the absence of antiretroviral protection. The lab hypothesizes that maternally acquired antibodies present in the infant prevent HIV-1 acquisition either through neutralization or antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity against the variants circulating in the maternal breast milk. Defining the immune correlate of protection will have important implications for HIV-1 vaccine design. Their work focuses on understanding HIV-1 envelope and host antibody evolution and impact on disease pathogenesis.

Dr. Sagar has served on numerous committees including NIH study sections and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Early Career Development Award Review Committee. He is an active member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Publications

  • Published 9/16/2026

    Yengo CK, Liu X, Langley RJ, Avila F, Sagar M, Ochsenbauer C, Bensing BA, Hioe CE. HIV-1 interactions with sialic acid-binding bacterial lectins promote virus infectivity in vitro and mucosal transmission in humanized mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2026; 16:1879791. PMID: 42819061.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/9/2026

    LaVerriere E, Behar S, Liang YM, Nielsen M, Sagar M, Connor JH. Genomic Surveillance Uncovers a Shift in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Subtype Dominance and the Local Expansion of Subclade B.D.E.1.7. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2026 Sep; 13(9):ofag564. PMID: 42751294.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/10/2026

    Kilroy JM, Deokar AA, Patalano S, Fuxman Bass JI, Sagar M, Gummuluru S, Henderson AJ. Intragenic transcription from defective HIV proviruses triggers interferon responses in myeloid cells. J Virol. 2026 Sep 22; 100(9):e0055226. PMID: 42573264.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/27/2026

    Leal AA, Tafrate S, He X, Bryant DL, Herring MB, Andrade M, McWhirter JB, Quiñones-Molina AA, Gummuluru S, Sagar M, Flynn RL, Leshchiner I, Henderson AJ. Bloom syndrome helicase is required for efficient HIV-1 reverse transcription in macrophages. bioRxiv. 2026 Apr 27. PMID: 42094387.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/7/2026

    Kilroy J, Deokar A, Patalano S, Bass JF, Sagar M, Gummuluru S, Henderson AJ. Intragenic Transcription from Defective HIV Proviruses Triggers Interferon Responses in Myeloid Cells. bioRxiv. 2026 Apr 07. PMID: 41993403.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 78 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD
  • Columbia University, BS

View all profiles