2025-02-06

We are excited to announce that a new grant with Dr. Caceres as Co-I totaling $2,000,000 has been awarded through the USDA APHIS HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge.

The project, titled “Protection and Immunity Induced by Avian Influenza Nano Vaccine (AI-nanovax) in Chickens,” aims to advance poultry health through cutting-edge vaccine technology. The research will be focusing on generating a DIVA-compliant, nanoparticle-based vaccine platform incorporating multiple influenza antigens. It will characterize vaccine safety and immune response breadth in chickens.

This initiative represents a significant step forward in protecting poultry from avian influenza, supporting both animal health and the agricultural industry.

Research Team:

• Balaji Narasimhan (PI; ISU)
• Joaquin Caceres (Co-I; ISU)

2026-01-26

A proposal submitted to the National Pork Board (NPB) was recently funded. This project aims to develop a reverse genetics system for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) to create a RG-based, recombinant-impaired, modified live vaccine candidate. This project will deliver a powerful tool that will significantly aid in the better understanding of the PRRSV biology.

Co-Investigators:

Michael Zeller (VDPAM-CVM), Phillip Gauger (VDPAM-CVM), Jianqian Zhang (VDPAM-CVM), Alexa Buckley (ARS-USDA), and Jayne Wiarda (ARS-USDA).

2025-11-20

Dr. Caceres is attending the 36th Congresso Brasileiro de Virologia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He will be presenting as an invited speaker about some of the work in our group. We hope the meeting will lead to fruitful connections and collaborations for the Caceres Lab.

2025-11-13

Dr. Caceres is visiting Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) in Brazil, where Dr. Leila Ullmann, head of the laboratory of veterinary virology, is hosting him. The purpose is to develop new connections and collaborations in virology. Dr. Caceres will give several lectures and seminars and interact 1-on-1 with students at the faculty. We thank Dr. Ullmann for all the support, and the LAC Connections Fellowships Application from the National Academy of Sciences, which provided the resources for this trip.

2025-09-16

The lab was represented by Nayrmaliz and Tommy on CVM Research Day at the alumni center. They had the opportunity to showcase their posters and explain the work they have done.

2025-08-14

On August 7th, Tommy presented at the Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Spokane, WA. He presented his summer research titled “Host range and binding profiles of influenza A(H5N1) in livestock species” and answered questions from students and faculty. The Caceres lab congratulates Tommy on sharing his work at the symposium. We thank the Iowa Livestock Health Advisory Council (ILHAC) for the support!

2025-07-29

We are excited to announce that the Cáceres lab has been awarded a grant that will advance our research on influenza. The primary goal is to examine the role of influenza A viral factors, in the viral replication and the host response using a three-dimensional organotypic model of human tracheal and bronchial epithelial tissue combined with single-cell sequencing techniques.

2025-07-16

Doctor Cáceres is attending the 2025 American Society for Virology (ASV) conference which is held in Montreal, Québec, Canada this July. It is an exciting opportunity to engage with other scientists and explore new ideas. We are grateful for the chance to be present at such a wonderful event spreading knowledge.

Please visit https://asv.org/asv2025/ for more information about the ASV.

The Caceres lab is part of a research team investigating host determinants of avian influenza virus susceptibility

2025-06-23

A team led by Dr. Carnaccini and Dr. Caceres, in collaboration with CSIRO, Australia, was recently awarded a project to address the growing threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The research aims to uncover the genetic factors that make some birds more resistant to infection. The project will focus on the H5Nx HPAIV strain, which has had devastating effects on poultry, wildlife, and food supply chains. Current control methods—such as strict biosecurity and eradication programs—have proven insufficient, and trade restrictions prevent the use of vaccines. With recent advances in precision breeding, the team sees new opportunities to develop poultry that are genetically resistant to the virus, but doing so requires a deeper understanding of the host’s genetic response to infection.

2025-06-10

We are excited to announce 4 new members to the team!

Tommy: A second year DVM student with a B.A. in Biology. He has conducted plant research involving sexual development and has experience working in an animal hospital.

Nayrmaliz: A graduate student with a B.S. in Microbiology. She has had multiple research experiences working with bacteria, fungi, and viruses with plans to become a physician.

Serban: A undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Engineering soon to begin a learning assistant position. He was part of IRHA and the Wilson/Wallace council.

Luke: A undergraduate student majoring in Biology pursuing a pre-med track. He has been a teaching assistant, a director for IRHA, and a LAS student ambassador.

We can’t wait to see the amazing work they will accomplish!

2025-05-16

This week, we welcomed Nara that joined our team as a Research Scientist I. She has a master degree in biomedical science from University of Iowa and a PhD from Iowa State University. More recently, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, VPRU-ARS unit, working in identify and analyze strains of both classical and atypical types of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) affecting large animals (deer, elks, cattle, and sheep)

2025-04-01

Dr. Caceres participated last week in the AVEM meeting in Pachuca, Mexico. Dr Caceres gave two seminars, one related to molecular aspects of avian influenza pathogenesis, antigenicity, and host-response. The second one delves into different aspects of infectious Bronchitis Virus and different molecular tools that the lab currently uses to study this avian pathogen

2025-03-18

We are happy to share that Dr. Caceres participated last week in the 2nd Connections to Sustain Science in Latin America Symposium organized by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The conference took place at the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima, Peru. 

This was an excellent opportunity to connect with investigators from different areas of Latin America and the U.S – Looking forward to hopefully participate next year!

2025-02-07

Position open for a lab technician: We are looking for a motivated individual to assist us with daily lab operations. Previous experience in molecular biology and cell culture highly desirable. More information and a link to apply can be found here: https://isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJobs/job/Ames-IA/Lab-Tech—Virology_R16410

2025-01-01

We have officially started (January 2025) our adventure at Iowa State University. The lab is located at the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Please review the website to learn more about the lab’s research interest. If you would like to learn more about research opportunities for students at all levels or have any questions, send an email to jcaceres@iastate.edu