C.J. Peters
Encyclopedia
Clarence James Peters, Jr, M.D.
(b. 23 September 1940, Midland, Texas
), known as C. J. Peters, is a physician
, field virologist and former U.S. Army colonel
. He is noted for his efforts in trying to stem epidemics of exotic infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus
, Hanta virus and Rift Valley fever
(RVF). He is an eminent authority on the virology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever viruses.
. At Rice University
, he initially majored in chemical engineering
, but switched to chemistry his junior year after taking courses with Thomas Brackett. He obtained his medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
and served his residency in internal medicine
at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He developed an interest in tropical medicine
and virology
while serving five years as a research associate at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease intramural laboratory in Panama
. Upon returning Stateside, he completed his fellowship in immunology
at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation
.
He entered active duty in the U.S. Army and from 1977 through 1992 held several positions at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick
, Maryland
, where he worked on biodefense
and hazardous virus research. His positions there ranged from research scientist and Medical Division chief to Disease Assessment Division chief. He led the team that controlled a 1989 Ebola introduction into a monkey facility in Reston, Virginia
(a story recounted in Richard Preston
’s best-selling 1994 book The Hot Zone
).
From 1992 to 2000 Peters was head of the Special Pathogens Branch at the Centers for Disease Control where he investigated hazardous emerging viruses. These included the agent causing the new disease hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the southwestern US, which he discovered and named. He also led efforts in Africa (Ebola, Marburg
, Lassa
, Rift Valley fever
), Asia (Nipah virus in Malaysia), and South America (Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Venezuelan equine encephalitis) to control outbreaks.
Since 2000, Peters has been the John Sealy Distinguished University Professor of Tropical and Emerging Virology at the University of Texas Medical Branch
(UTMB) at Galveston, where he has an active research program in SARS, Rift Valley fever
, and other human pathogens. He is a professor in the department of pathology and in the department of microbiology and immunology. He is a member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases. He is also director for biodefense at the UTMB Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Peters has published more than 300 papers on research and control of viral diseases including more than 70 publications on Rift Valley fever
virus and more than 60 publications on arenavirus
es. He has served on numerous committees dealing with disease problems world wide and has been called back as a consultant to CDC and USAMRIID on influenza, vaccines, and other issues after his departure. He consulted with Taiwan
on SARS control.
(including the phylogeny of phleboviruses such as Rift Valley fever
(RVF), Arenaviridae (Lassa fever, South American hemorrhagic fevers) and SARS CoV. He runs an active program of human and animal vaccine development for RVF using reverse genetics
. He and his colleague Ilya Frolov are developing alphavirus
replicon
vectored RVF vaccines for use in livestock and ultimately in humans. His arenavirus research concentrates on the effects of infection on cellular function, particularly those molecular interactions related to vascular permeability. SARS-CoV work includes antiviral drug development, model characterization, and interferon interactions. The Galveston National Laboratory
, a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, opened in 2008 at the University of Texas Medical Branch to allow scientists there to work safely with any pathologic agent. Peters expects to transition some of the projects to higher hazard viral hemorrhagic fevers and to develop projects on other viruses such as tick-borne flavivirus
es, highly virulent avian influenza strains, and Nipah virus, a new, highly virulent paramyxovirus
.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(b. 23 September 1940, Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
), known as C. J. Peters, is a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, field virologist and former U.S. Army colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
. He is noted for his efforts in trying to stem epidemics of exotic infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus
Ebola virus
Ebola virus causes severe disease in humans and in nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fever. EBOV is a Select Agent, World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Pathogen , National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen,...
, Hanta virus and Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis causing fever. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, typically the Aedes or Culex genera. The disease is caused by the RVF virus, a member of the genus Phlebovirus...
(RVF). He is an eminent authority on the virology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever viruses.
Biography
Peters grew up in Odessa, TexasOdessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
. At Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, he initially majored in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, but switched to chemistry his junior year after taking courses with Thomas Brackett. He obtained his medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
and served his residency in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He developed an interest in tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
and virology
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
while serving five years as a research associate at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease intramural laboratory in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. Upon returning Stateside, he completed his fellowship in immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...
.
He entered active duty in the U.S. Army and from 1977 through 1992 held several positions at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center for the United States' biological weapons program ....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, where he worked on biodefense
Biodefense
Biodefense refers to short term, local, usually military measures to restore biosecurity to a given group of persons in a given area who are, or may be, subject to biological warfare— in the civilian terminology, it is a very robust biohazard response. It is technically possible to apply...
and hazardous virus research. His positions there ranged from research scientist and Medical Division chief to Disease Assessment Division chief. He led the team that controlled a 1989 Ebola introduction into a monkey facility in Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
(a story recounted in Richard Preston
Richard Preston
Richard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
’s best-selling 1994 book The Hot Zone
The Hot Zone
The Hot Zone is a best-selling 1994 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses...
).
From 1992 to 2000 Peters was head of the Special Pathogens Branch at the Centers for Disease Control where he investigated hazardous emerging viruses. These included the agent causing the new disease hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the southwestern US, which he discovered and named. He also led efforts in Africa (Ebola, Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Lassa
Lassa
Lassa may refer to:*The town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria*Lassa fever, first described in the Nigerian town.*Lassa, Togo*Lhasa, Tibet...
, Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis causing fever. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, typically the Aedes or Culex genera. The disease is caused by the RVF virus, a member of the genus Phlebovirus...
), Asia (Nipah virus in Malaysia), and South America (Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
Bolivian hemorrhagic fever , also known as black typhus or Ordog Fever, is a hemorrhagic fever and zoonotic infectious disease originating in Bolivia after infection by Machupo virus....
, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Venezuelan equine encephalitis) to control outbreaks.
Since 2000, Peters has been the John Sealy Distinguished University Professor of Tropical and Emerging Virology at the University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
(UTMB) at Galveston, where he has an active research program in SARS, Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis causing fever. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, typically the Aedes or Culex genera. The disease is caused by the RVF virus, a member of the genus Phlebovirus...
, and other human pathogens. He is a professor in the department of pathology and in the department of microbiology and immunology. He is a member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases. He is also director for biodefense at the UTMB Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Peters has published more than 300 papers on research and control of viral diseases including more than 70 publications on Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis causing fever. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, typically the Aedes or Culex genera. The disease is caused by the RVF virus, a member of the genus Phlebovirus...
virus and more than 60 publications on arenavirus
Arenavirus
Arenavirus is a genus of virus that infects rodents and occasionally humans. At least eight Arenaviruses are known to cause human disease. The diseases derived from Arenaviruses range in severity. Aseptic meningitis, a severe human disease that causes inflammation covering the brain and spinal...
es. He has served on numerous committees dealing with disease problems world wide and has been called back as a consultant to CDC and USAMRIID on influenza, vaccines, and other issues after his departure. He consulted with Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on SARS control.
Current work
Most of Peters' current work in the laboratory deals with BunyaviridaeBunyaviridae
Bunyaviridae is a family of negative-stranded RNA viruses. Though generally found in arthropods or rodents, certain viruses in this family occasionally infect humans. Some of them also infect plants....
(including the phylogeny of phleboviruses such as Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley fever
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis causing fever. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, typically the Aedes or Culex genera. The disease is caused by the RVF virus, a member of the genus Phlebovirus...
(RVF), Arenaviridae (Lassa fever, South American hemorrhagic fevers) and SARS CoV. He runs an active program of human and animal vaccine development for RVF using reverse genetics
Reverse genetics
Reverse genetics is an approach to discovering the function of a gene by analyzing the phenotypic effects of specific gene sequences obtained by DNA sequencing. This investigative process proceeds in the opposite direction of so-called forward genetic screens of classical genetics...
. He and his colleague Ilya Frolov are developing alphavirus
Alphavirus
In biology and immunology, an alphavirus belongs to the group IV Togaviridae family of viruses, according to the system of classification based on viral genome composition introduced by David Baltimore in 1971. Alphaviruses, like all other group IV viruses have a positive sense single stranded RNA...
replicon
Replicon
*A Replicon in genetics is a region of DNA or RNA, that replicates from a single origin of replication.*Replicon is a software company providing timesheet and expense management software....
vectored RVF vaccines for use in livestock and ultimately in humans. His arenavirus research concentrates on the effects of infection on cellular function, particularly those molecular interactions related to vascular permeability. SARS-CoV work includes antiviral drug development, model characterization, and interferon interactions. The Galveston National Laboratory
Galveston National Laboratory
The Galveston National Laboratory in Galveston, Texas, USA, is a high security National Biocontainment Laboratory housing several Biosafety level 4 research laboratories, run by the University of Texas Medical Branch for exotic disease diagnosis and research...
, a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, opened in 2008 at the University of Texas Medical Branch to allow scientists there to work safely with any pathologic agent. Peters expects to transition some of the projects to higher hazard viral hemorrhagic fevers and to develop projects on other viruses such as tick-borne flavivirus
Flavivirus
Flavivirus is a genus of the family Flaviviridae. This genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, and several other viruses which may cause encephalitis....
es, highly virulent avian influenza strains, and Nipah virus, a new, highly virulent paramyxovirus
Paramyxovirus
Paramyxoviruses are viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family of the Mononegavirales order; they are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses responsible for a number of human and animal diseases.-Genera:*Subfamily Paramyxovirinae**Genus Avulavirus Paramyxoviruses (from Greek para-, beyond, -myxo-,...
.