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
Bean 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.
Published on 10/24/2023Bean DJ, Monroe J, Liang YM, Borberg E, Senussi Y, Swank Z, Chalise S, Walt D, Weinberg J, Sagar M. Heterotypic responses against nsp12/nsp13 from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection associates with lower subsequent endemic coronavirus incidence. bioRxiv. 2023 Oct 24. PMID: 37961343.
Published on 5/10/2023Esmaeilzadeh E, Etemad B, Lavine CL, Garneau L, Li Y, Regan J, Wong C, Sharaf R, Connick E, Volberding P, Sagar M, Seaman MS, Li JZ. Autologous neutralizing antibodies increase with early antiretroviral therapy and shape HIV rebound after treatment interruption. Sci Transl Med. 2023 May 10; 15(695):eabq4490. PMID: 37163616.
Published on 4/10/2023Adeoye B, Nakiyingi L, Moreau Y, Nankya E, Olson AJ, Zhang M, Jacobson KR, Gupta A, Manabe YC, Hosseinipour MC, Kumwenda J, Sagar M. Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease associates with higher HIV-1-specific antibody responses. iScience. 2023 May 19; 26(5):106631. PMID: 37168567.
Published on 2/1/2023Basukala B, Rossi S, Bendiks S, Gnatienko N, Patts G, Krupitsky E, Lioznov D, So-Armah K, Sagar M, Cheng C, Henderson AJ. Virally Suppressed People Living with HIV Who Use Opioids Have Diminished Latency Reversal. Viruses. 2023 Feb 01; 15(2). PMID: 36851631.
Published on 8/24/2022Bean DJ, Monroe J, Turcinovic J, Moreau Y, Connor JH, Sagar M. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Reinfection Associates With Unstable Housing and Occurs in the Presence of Antibodies. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24; 75(1):e208-e215. PMID: 34755830.
Published on 5/10/2022Tu JJ, Kumar A, Giorgi EE, Eudailey J, LaBranche CC, Martinez DR, Fouda GG, Moreau Y, Thomas A, Montefiori D, Gao F, Sagar M, Permar SR. Vertical HIV-1 Transmission in the Setting of Maternal Broad and Potent Antibody Responses. J Virol. 2022 Jun 08; 96(11):e0023122. PMID: 35536018.
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.