Rachel Fearns, PhD
Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Virology, Immunology & Microbiology

PhD, University of St Andrews
BS, University of Leeds



Expertise in paramyxovirus genome transcription and replication mechanisms.

Faculty
Boston University
National Emerging Infectious Disease Lab


Member
Boston University
Pulmonary Center


Member
Boston University
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research


Member
Boston University
Genome Science Institute


Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences




Structure and Biochemistry of henipavirus polymerase complex
10/31/2022 - 09/30/2025 (PI)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation


Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression
05/08/2018 - 04/30/2024 (Multi-PI)
PI: Rachel Fearns, PhD
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R01AI133486-05

Studies to Assess the Mechanism of Action of an L Inhibitor
02/15/2022 - 09/30/2023 (PI)
Merck, Sharp & Dohme LLC


Modeling the permature airway with neonatal airway basal cells
06/01/2022 - 05/31/2023 (Subcontract PI)
Massachusetts General Hospital NIH NIAID
5R21AI156597-02

The B cell repertoire as a window into the nature and impact of the lung virome
05/01/2019 - 04/30/2023 (Multi-PI)
PI: Rachel Fearns, PhD
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
5R33HL137081-05

Characterize the transcriptional and genome replication mechanism of paramyxoviruses for the discovery of broad spectrum anti-virals
09/01/2020 - 04/16/2023 (PI)
F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd.


Studies to assess the mechanism of inhibition of pneumovirus L and N-P inhibitors
10/01/2020 - 01/31/2023 (PI)
Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc


Interplay between respiratory syncytial virus and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways
02/07/2020 - 01/31/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
5R21AI147659-02

Developing Combination Therapies against Pneumo- and Paramyxoviruses Causing Severe Respiratory Infection
07/01/2018 - 06/30/2022 (Subcontract PI)
Georgia State University NIH NIAID
5R01AI071002-15

Evaluating the mechanism of actino of RSV L inhibitors targeting the CRV region
05/03/2019 - 06/04/2021 (PI)
Janssen Sciences Ireland


Showing 10 of 19 results. Show All Results


Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2022 Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression 5R01AI133486-05
2021 Interplay between respiratory syncytial virus and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways 5R21AI147659-02
2021 Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression 5R01AI133486-04 3
2021 The B cell repertoire as a window into the nature and impact of the lung virome 5R33HL137081-05
2020 Interplay between respiratory syncytial virus and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways 1R21AI147659-01A1
2020 Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression 5R01AI133486-03 3
2020 The B cell repertoire as a window into the nature and impact of the lung virome 5R33HL137081-04
2019 Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression 5R01AI133486-02 3
2019 The B cell repertoire as a window into the nature and impact of the lung virome 4R33HL137081-03
2018 Mechanisms of Marburg virus gene expression 1R01AI133486-01A1 3
Showing 10 of 22 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Ouizougun-Oubari M, Fearns R. Structures and Mechanisms of Nonsegmented, Negative-Strand RNA Virus Polymerases. Annu Rev Virol. 2023 May 03.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37137281
     
  2. Donovan-Banfield I, Milligan R, Hall S, Gao T, Murphy E, Li J, Shawli GT, Hiscox J, Zhuang X, McKeating JA, Fearns R, Matthews DA. Direct RNA sequencing of respiratory syncytial virus infected human cells generates a detailed overview of RSV polycistronic mRNA and transcript abundance. PLoS One. 2022; 17(11):e0276697. PMID: 36355791; PMCID: PMC9648745; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276697;
     
  3. Cressey TN, Shareef AM, Kleiner VA, Noton SL, Byrne PO, McLellan JS, Mühlberger E, Fearns R. Distinctive features of the respiratory syncytial virus priming loop compared to other non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses. PLoS Pathog. 2022 06; 18(6):e1010451.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35731802; PMCID: PMC9255747; DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010451;
     
  4. Conley MJ, Short JM, Burns AM, Streetley J, Hutchings J, Bakker SE, Power BJ, Jaffery H, Haney J, Zanetti G, Murcia PR, Stewart M, Fearns R, Vijayakrishnan S, Bhella D. Helical ordering of envelope-associated proteins and glycoproteins in respiratory syncytial virus. EMBO J. 2022 02 01; 41(3):e109728. PMID: 34935163; PMCID: PMC8804925; DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021109728;
     
  5. Shareef AM, Ludeke B, Jordan P, Deval J, Fearns R. Comparison of RNA synthesis initiation properties of non-segmented negative strand RNA virus polymerases. PLoS Pathog. 2021 12; 17(12):e1010151. PMID: 34914795; PMCID: PMC8717993; DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010151;
     
  6. Braun MR, Noton SL, Blanchard EL, Shareef A, Santangelo PJ, Johnson WE, Fearns R. Respiratory syncytial virus M2-1 protein associates non-specifically with viral messenger RNA and with specific cellular messenger RNA transcripts. PLoS Pathog. 2021 05; 17(5):e1009589.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34003848; PMCID: PMC8162694; DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009589;
     
  7. Rhodin MHJ, McAllister NV, Castillo J, Noton SL, Fearns R, Kim IJ, Yu J, Blaisdell TP, Panarese J, Shook BC, Or YS, Goodwin B, Lin K. EDP-938, a novel nucleoprotein inhibitor of respiratory syncytial virus, demonstrates potent antiviral activities in vitro and in a non-human primate model. PLoS Pathog. 2021 03; 17(3):e1009428.View Related Profiles. PMID: 33720995; PMCID: PMC7993833; DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009428;
     
  8. Blanchard EL, Braun MR, Lifland AW, Ludeke B, Noton SL, Vanover D, Zurla C, Fearns R, Santangelo PJ. Polymerase-tagged respiratory syncytial virus reveals a dynamic rearrangement of the ribonucleocapsid complex during infection. PLoS Pathog. 2020 10; 16(10):e1008987.View Related Profiles. PMID: 33031461; PMCID: PMC7575074; DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008987;
     
  9. Kleiner VA, Fearns R. RSV M2-1 Protein in Complex with RNA: Old Questions Are Answered and a New One Emerges. Structure. 2020 09 01; 28(9):977-978. PMID: 32877647
     
  10. Pan J, Qian X, Lattmann S, El Sahili A, Yeo TH, Jia H, Cressey T, Ludeke B, Noton S, Kalocsay M, Fearns R, Lescar J. Structure of the human metapneumovirus polymerase phosphoprotein complex. Nature. 2020 01; 577(7789):275-279.View Related Profiles. PMID: 31698413; PMCID: PMC6949429; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1759-1;
     
Showing 10 of 56 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 56 publications over 24 distinct years, with a maximum of 5 publications in 2015 and 2018 and 2019

YearPublications
19941
19951
19961
19972
19993
20001
20021
20053
20061
20092
20103
20111
20121
20132
20143
20155
20164
20172
20185
20195
20202
20214
20222
20231
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

mononegavirales
paramyxovirus
processing bodies
RNA dependent RNA polymerase
stress granules
transcription

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
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Contact for Mentoring:

72 E. Concord St Housman (R)
Boston MA 02118
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