Personal Statement
The Chackerian laboratory utilizes a vaccine platform technology that exploits the potent immunogenicity of virus particles. We engineer vaccines by arraying target antigens at high density onto the surface of highly immunogenic virus-like particles (VLPs). This repetitive structure allows us to induce strong antibody responses against virtually any antigen, even ones that are normally poorly immunogenic.
We have used this technology to produce vaccines against antigens from traditional targets, such as pathogens, but also to produce vaccines that target self-antigens that are involved in chronic diseases, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's. Using VLPs derived from RNA bacteriophages we have developed a variety of tools to rapidly identify and develop vaccine candidates.
Areas of Specialty
The Chackerian laboratory currently is working on projects to develop novel vaccines targeting diverse pathogens (including malaria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, and HIV-1) and vaccines for chronic diseases (including dyslipidemia, Alzheimer's, and aging). We are funded by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
To learn more about our work, follow us on Bluesky (@chacklab.bsky.social)
Achievements & Awards
Jeffrey Michael Gorvetzian Endowed Professor of Biomedical Research Excellence
UNM Rainforest Innovation Fellow
Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BSGP) Outstanding Mentor Award
Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors
Research
Meet our Research Team!
Lab Members:
- Dr. Julianne Peabody (HS Associate Scientist)
- Dr. Alex Francian (Post-doctoral fellow)
- Yogesh Nepal (PhD student)
- Alan McNolty (PhD student)
- Garrett Wondra (Undergraduate Researcher)
Chackerian Lab (July 2023)
Lab Alumni:
- Dr. Zoe Hunter (PhD student), Associate Scientific Director, Oncology Early Development, AbbVie
- Marisa Rangel Durfee (Research Technician), North American Regulatory Scientist at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
- Dr. Brett Manifold-Wheeler (Research Technician), Lecturer, UNM Dept. of Biochemistry
- Dr. Paul Durfee (Research Technician), Director of Formulation and Delivery, Sail Biomedicines
- Alex Medford (MS student), Biological Scientist, A-TEK Inc.
- Dr. John O'Rourke (Research Assistant Professor), President and CEO, BennuBio Inc.
- Dr. Jayne Christen (Post-doctoral fellow), Health Science Administrator/Program Officer, NCI/NIH
- Dr. Mitchell Tyler (PhD student), Senior Analyst, National Center for Medical Intelligence
- Dr. Erin Crossey (MD/PhD student), Assistant Professor, Boston University
- Dr. Ebenezer Tumban (Post-doctoral fellow/Research scientist), Associate Professor, Texas Tech University (Amarillo)
- Dr. Kathryn Frietze (Post-doctoral fellow/Research Assistant Professor), Associate Professor, UNM School of Medicine
- Susan Core (Sr Research Specialist), Research Specialist, Frietze Laboratory, UNM
- Dr. Naomi Lee (Post-doctoral fellow), Associate Professor, Northern Arizona University
- Dr. Alemu Mogus (Post-doctoral fellow), Post-doctoral fellow, University of Virginia
- Dr. Alexandra (Fowler) Belcher (PhD student), Scientist, Moderna Inc.
- Dr. Lucie Jelinkova (PhD student), Ob/Gyn Resident, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
- Dr. Ashvini Vaidya (MS student and research scientist), Family Medicine Resident, Swedish Hospital (Seattle)
- Temi Ajayi (Research Technician), Medical student at UNM
- Rabia Khan (MS student), Engineering Project Lead, Sandia National Laboratory
- Javier Leo (Research Technician), Graduate Student at MD Anderson Cancer Center/UT Health
- Lauren (Burckel) Zumwalt (Research Technician), Engineer at nStone Corporation
- Bryce Roberts (Research Scientist), Medical Student at UNM
Chackerian Lab (October 2019)
Research and Scholarship
Recent Representative publications include:
Francian, A., Flores-Garcia, Y., Powell, J.R., Petrovsky, N., Zavala, F., and B. Chackerian (2025). Virus-like particle-based vaccines targeting the Anopheles mosquito salivary protein, TRIO. mSphere. 2025 Feb 25;10(2):e0079824. PMCID: 11852919.
Romano, I.G., Johnson-Weaver, B., Core, S.B., Jamus, A.N., Brackeen, M., Blough, B., Dey, S., Huang, Y., Staats, H., Wetsel, W.C., Chackerian, B., and K.M. Frietze (2025). A two-dose regimen of Qbeta virus-like particle-based vaccines elicit protective antibodies against heroin and fentanyl. NPJ Vaccines. 2025 Mar 28;10(1):57. PMCID: 11950649.
Maphis, N., Hulse, J., Peabody, J., Dadras, S., Whelpley, M.J., Kandath, M., Wilson, C., Hobson, S., Thompson, J., Poolsup, S., Beckman, D., Ott, S.P., van Rompay, K.K., Morrison, J., Selwyn, R., Rosenberg, G., Knoefel, J., Chackerian, B., and K. Bhaskar (2025). Targeting phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 by a Qbeta virus-like particle vaccine is safe, highly immunogenic, and reduces disease severity in mice and rhesus macaques. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Mar;21(3):e70101. PMCID: 11947757.
Wholey, W., Meyer, A.R., Yoda, S-T., Mueller, J.L., Mathenge, R., Chackerian, B., Zikherman, J., and W. Cheng. An integrated signaling threshold initiates IgG response towards virus-like immunogens (2024). Journal of Immunology. Oct 15;213(8):1061-1075. PMCID: 11458362.
B. Chackerian and A. Remaley (2024). PCSK9 Vaccines: A promising new strategy for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia? Journal of Lipid Research. 2024 Feb 17;65(3):100524.
Romano IG, Core SB, Lee NR, Mowry C, Van Rompay KKA, Huang Y, Chackerian B, Frietze KM (2024). A bacteriophage virus-like particle vaccine against oxycodone elicits high-titer and long-lasting antibodies that sequester drug in the blood. Vaccine. 2024 Jan 25:42(3):471-480.
Fowler, A., Van Rompay, K.K.A., Sampson, M., Leo, J., Watanabe, J.K., Usachenko, J.L., Immareddy, R., Lovato, D.M., Schiller, J.T., Remaley, A.T., and B. Chackerian (2023). A virus-like particle-based bivalent PCSK9 vaccine lowers LDL-cholesterol levels in non-human primates. NPJ Vaccines 2023 Sep 28;8(1):142.
Peabody, J., Core, S.B., Ronsard, L., Lingwood, D., Peabody, D.S., and B. Chackerian (2024). An Approach for Antigen-Agnostic Identification of Vius-Like Particle-Displayed Epitopes that Engage Specific Antibody V Gene Regions. Methods Mol Biol. 2024;2720:55-74.
Jelínková, L., Roberts, B., Ajayi, D.T., Peabody, D.S., and B. Chackerian (2023). The Immunogenicity of a VLP-based Malaria Vaccine Targeting CSP in Pregnant and Neonatal Mice. Biomolecules 2023, Jan 19;13(2):202.
Fowler, A., Ye, C., Clarke, E. C., Pascale, J. M., Peabody, D., Bradfute, S. B., Frietze, K. M., and B. Chackerian (2023). A method for mapping the linear epitopes targeted by the natural antibody response to Zika virus infection using a VLP platform technology. Virology 579, 101-110.
Jelínková, L., Flores-Garcia, Y., Shapiro, S., Roberts, B., Petrovsky, N., Zavala, F. & B. Chackerian (2022). A vaccine targeting the L9 epitope of the malaria circumsporozoite protein confers protection for blood-stage infection in a mouse challenge model. NPJ Vaccines 2022 Mar 8; 7, 34.
Fowler, A., Sampson, M., Remaley, A.T., and B. Chackerian (2021). A VLP-based vaccine targeting ANGPTL3 lowers plasma triglycerides in mice. Vaccine, 2021 Sep 24;39(40):5780-5786.
Ronsard, L., Yousif, A., Peabody, J., Okonkowo, V., Devant, P., Mogus, A.T., Barnes, R., Rohrer, D., Lonberg, N., Peabody, D., Chackerian, B., and D. Lingwood (2021). Engineering an antibody V gene-selective vaccine. Frontiers in Immunology, 2021 Sep 9;12:730471
Jelínková, L., Jhun, H., Eaton, A., Petrovsky, N., Zavala, F., & B. Chackerian (2021). An Epitope-based Malaria Vaccine Targeting the Junctional Domain of Circumsporozoite Protein. NPJ Vaccines 2021 Jan 21;6(1):13.