Manish Sagar MD
Professor, Infectious Diseases
Professor, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology
650 Albany St | (617) 414-5239manish.sagar@bmc.org
msagar@bu.edu
Sections
Infectious Diseases
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).
Other Positions
Education
Medicine, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
BS, Columbia University
Publications
Parayil T, Monroe J, Bean DJ, Sagar M. Common Cold Coronavirus Test Positivity Decreased After Widespread SARS-CoV-2 Experience. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2025 Jul; 12(7):ofaf326. PMID: 40599488.
Published on 6/18/2025LaVerriere E, Behar S, Sher-Jan C, Liang YM, Sagar M, Connor JH. Genomic Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in a New England Hospital System, 2024. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2025 Jun; 12(6):ofaf334. PMID: 40567998.
Published on 6/10/2025Ramaswamy S, Akiyama H, Berrigan J, Quiñones-Molina AA, Olson AJ, Chen Y, Liang Y, Henderson AJ, Asundi A, Sagar M, Gummuluru S. The macrophage-intrinsic MDA5/IRF5 axis drives HIV-1 intron-containing RNA-induced inflammatory responses. J Clin Invest. 2025 Aug 15; 135(16). PMID: 40493408.
Published on 5/19/2025Bean DJ, Liang YM, Avila F, He X, Asundi A, Sagar M. Endemic coronavirus infection is associated with SARS-CoV-2 Fc receptor-binding antibodies. J Virol. 2025 Jun 17; 99(6):e0055025. PMID: 40387363.
Published on 4/29/2025Mcconney CS, Kenney D, Ennis CS, Smith-Mahoney EL, Ayuso MJ, Zhong J, Douam F, Sagar M, Snyder-Cappione JE. Individuals Infected with SARS-CoV-2 Prior to COVID-19 Vaccination Maintain Vaccine-Induced RBD-Specific Antibody Levels and Viral Neutralization Activity for One Year. Viruses. 2025 Apr 29; 17(5). PMID: 40431652.
Published on 4/20/2025Thomson SJ, Mistry R, Bayly H, Overbeck V, Sagar M, Schechter-Perkins EM, White LF, Jacobson KR, Bouton TC. Barriers to recruitment of an observational SARS-CoV-2 emergency department cohort at Boston Medical Center. BMC Emerg Med. 2025 Apr 20; 25(1):68. PMID: 40254607.
Published on 10/23/2024Bean DJ, Liang YM, Sagar M. Recent Endemic Coronavirus Infection Associates With Higher SARS-CoV-2 Cross-Reactive Fc Receptor Binding Antibodies. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 23. PMID: 39484477.
Published on 6/27/2024Heindel DW, Figueroa Acosta DM, Goff M, Yengo CK, Jan M, Liu X, Wang XH, Petrova MI, Zhang M, Sagar M, Barnette P, Pandey S, Hessell AJ, Chan KW, Kong XP, Chen BK, Mahal LK, Bensing BA, Hioe CE. HIV-1 interaction with an O-glycan-specific bacterial lectin enhances virus infectivity and resistance to neutralizing antibodies. iScience. 2024 Aug 16; 27(8):110390. PMID: 39108723.
Published on 6/12/2024Bean DJ, Monroe J, Liang YM, Borberg E, Senussi Y, Swank Z, Chalise S, Walt D, Weinberg J, Sagar M. Heterotypic immunity from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection but not COVID-19 vaccination associates with lower endemic coronavirus incidence. Sci Transl Med. 2024 Jun 12; 16(751):eado7588. PMID: 38865483.
Published on 1/3/2024Heindel DW, Figueroa Acosta DM, Goff M, Yengo CK, Jan M, Liu X, Wang XH, Petrova MI, Zhang M, Sagar M, Barnette P, Pandey S, Hessell AJ, Chan KW, Kong XP, Chen BK, Mahal LK, Bensing BA, Hioe CE. HIV-1 interaction with an O-glycan-specific bacterial lectin enhances virus infectivity and resistance to neutralization by antibodies. Res Sq. 2024 Jan 03. PMID: 36824869.
Media Mentions
Published on 7/26/2024
COVID-19 May Protect Against the Common Cold—Here’s Why Knowing That Could Lead to Better Vaccines
Published on 6/18/2024
PAST COVID INFECTION COULD PROTECT AGAINST COLDS
Published on 6/17/2024
Partying Amid Tomfoolery and Shenanigans of Falstaffian Proportions
Published on 6/17/2024
Study: Past COVID Infection Could Protect Against Colds
Published on 6/14/2024
COVID cuts common cold coronavirus consequences
Published on 6/12/2024
Past COVID infections may help protect against certain colds. Could it lead to better vaccines?
Published on 1/11/2024
Published on 5/18/2023
Tuberculosis Disease Improves Antibody Response in Patients Coinfected With HIV
Published on 5/9/2023
HIV Antibody Response Intensified in Patients With Tuberculosis Disease
Published on 1/6/2022
Why Does Homelessness Increase the Risk of COVID-19 Reinfection?
View full list of 33 media mentions.