Vaibhav Tiwari, Ph.D.

Dr. Vaibhav Tiwari is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology whose research examines how glycans at the cell surface shape viral infection, host responses, and disease. He received his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Banaras Hindu University, India, and completed postdoctoral training in molecular virology and glycobiology at the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois Chicago. The Tiwari Laboratory works at the interface of glycobiology and virology, with the goal of defining how viruses recognize, navigate, and exploit the complex glycan landscape of host cells. Unlike proteins and nucleic acids, glycans are generated through non-template-driven biosynthetic processes that produce extraordinary structural and functional diversity. The laboratory investigates how this diversity creates molecular recognition systems that influence viral attachment, entry, tropism, immune signaling, and tissue injury.

A central focus of the laboratory is heparan sulfate, a structurally diverse component of the glycocalyx that functions as an information-rich interface between cells and their environment. Using herpes simplex virus (HSV) as a model, Dr. Tiwari’s group studies how specific patterns of heparan sulfate modification regulate viral infection. Of particular interest is 3-O-sulfated heparan sulfate, a rare structural motif that can function as an HSV entry receptor. This work addresses a broader biological question: how can small changes in glycan architecture produce major changes in cellular susceptibility and disease? The laboratory also seeks to translate these principles into new therapeutic strategies. Rather than viewing glycans solely as host structures exploited during infection, the group is investigating how their chemical diversity and molecular specificity can be harnessed to disrupt virus–host interactions. Current approaches include heparan sulfate mimetics, marine-derived sulfated glycans, and other carbohydrate-based molecules designed to interfere with viral recognition, modulate inflammatory responses, and protect the integrity of the host glycocalyx. This work reflects a broader view of antiviral therapy - controlling the virus may be necessary, but it may not be sufficient to restore health. By studying infection at the molecular interface where pathogen and host first meet, the Tiwari Laboratory aims to develop strategies that simultaneously restrict infection, limit pathological inflammation, preserve tissue architecture, and promote functional recovery. The long-term goal is to establish glycovirology as a mechanistic and therapeutic framework for understanding infectious disease to decipher the glycan codes that viruses have evolved to exploit and determine whether those same codes can be redesigned to protect the host.

Dr. Tiwari brings the same spirit of discovery to the classroom that drives his research. He is passionate about inspiring curiosity, independent thought, and scientific imagination empowering students not simply to learn what is known, but to ask questions that define what comes next.