Rachel Fearns, PhD

Chair and Ernest Barsamian, MD Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

My group's research focuses on the transcription-replication machinery of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses. My work spans several viruses in different viral families, including Marburg virus, Nipah virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and parainfluenza virus. Although these viruses cause very different diseases, they all share common mechanisms to transcribe and replicate their RNA genomes. My group specializes in using biochemical and molecular biology approaches to probe functional properties of the transcription-replication machinery. We collaborate with structural biologists to understand how the structure of viral polymerases relates to their multi-functional properties, with industry partners to determine the mechanism of action of small molecule polymerase inhibitors with therapeutic potential, and with experts in microscopy to study how the transcription-replication machinery is organized and regulated in infected cells.

Publications

  • Published 1/20/2025

    Hu S, Kim H, Yang P, Yu Z, Ludeke B, Mobilia S, Pan J, Stratton M, Bian Y, Fearns R, Abraham J. Structural and functional analysis of the Nipah virus polymerase complex. Cell. 2025 Feb 06; 188(3):688-703.e18. PMID: 39837328.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/15/2025

    Zhao C, Taliento AE, Belkin EM, Fearns R, Lerou PH, Ai X, Bai Y. Infant RSV infection desensitizes ß2-adrenergic receptor via CXCL11-CXCR7 signaling in airway smooth muscle. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 15. PMID: 39868223.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/1/2024

    Zhao C, Bai Y, Wang W, Amonkar GM, Mou H, Olejnik J, Hume AJ, Mühlberger E, Lukacs NW, Fearns R, Lerou PH, Ai X. Activation of STAT3-mediated ciliated cell survival protects against severe infection by respiratory syncytial virus. J Clin Invest. 2024 Nov 01; 134(21). PMID: 39484716.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/30/2024

    Kleiner VA, Fearns R. How does the polymerase of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses commit to transcription or genome replication? J Virol. 2024 Aug 20; 98(8):e0033224. PMID: 39078194.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/19/2024

    Bonneux B, Shareef A, Tcherniuk S, Anson B, de Bruyn S, Verheyen N, Thys K, Conceição-Neto N, Van Ginderen M, Kwanten L, Ysebaert N, Vranckx L, Peeters E, Lanckacker E, Gallup JM, Sitthicharoenchai P, Alnajjar S, Ackermann MR, Adhikary S, Bhaumik A, Patrick A, Fung A, Sutto-Ortiz P, Decroly E, Mason SW, Lançois D, Deval J, Jin Z, Eléouët JF, Fearns R, Koul A, Roymans D, Rigaux P, Herschke F. JNJ-7184, a respiratory syncytial virus inhibitor targeting the connector domain of the viral polymerase. Antiviral Res. 2024 Jul; 227:105907. PMID: 38772503.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 66 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Faculty, National Emerging Infectious Disease Lab
    Boston University
  • Member, Pulmonary Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of St Andrews, PhD
  • University of Leeds, BS

View all profiles