Training

2021:  Ph.D., Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University- School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
2014:  B.A., Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

Awards

NIH F32 Fellowship “Antiviral Lung Resident Memory T Cell Maintenance and Reinvigoration” NIAID

Research

Heterotypic immunity, T cell mediated immunity to influenza virus

Publications Pubmed

1. Hassert, M. Pewe, L.L., He, R., Heidarian. M., Phruttiwanichakun, P., van de Wall, S., Mix, M.R., Salem, A.K., Badovinac, V.P.,  Harty, J.T. Regenerating murine CD8⁺ lung tissue resident memory T cells after targeted radiation exposure. J Exp Med 4 March 2024; 221 (3): e20231144. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20231144
2. Silva E.E., Moioffer, S.J., Hassert, M., Berton, R.R., Smith, M.G., Van de Wall, S., Meyerholz, D.K., Griffith, T.S., Harty, J.T., and Badovinac. V.P., Defining parameters that modulate susceptibility and protection to respiratory murine coronavirus MHV1 infection. J Immunol in press (2024). DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300434
3. Dickson, A., Geerling, E., Stone, E.T., Hassert, M.,… and Brien, J.D. The role of vaccination route with an adenovirus-vectored vaccine in protection, viral control, and transmission in the SARS-CoV-2/K18-hACE2 mouse infection model. Frontiers in Immunology. 2023. PMCID: PMC10469340 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188392
4. Heidarian, M., Jensen, I.J., Kannan, S.K…. Hassert, M. ,… and Badovinac, V.P. Sublethal whole-body irradiation induces permanent loss and dysfunction in pathogen-specific circulating memory T CD8+ T cell populations. PNAS. 2023; PMCID: PMC10318958 doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2302785120
5. Hassert, M., Harty, J.T. Alt-RNAtive vaccines elicit anti-malarial TRM cells. Nat Immunol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01594-y
6. Hassert, M*, Arumugam, S*, Harty, JT. Memory CD8+ T cell-mediated protection against liver-stage malaria. Immunol Rev. 2023; 00: 1- 20. PMCID: PMC10524177 (available on 2024-07-01) doi:10.1111/imr.13202
7. Hassert, M. and Harty, J.T. (2022) Tissue resident memory T cells- A new benchmark for the induction of vaccine-induced mucosal immunity. Frontiers in Immunology. Oct 04; PMCID: PMC9581298 doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1039194.
8. Geerling, E., Murphy, V., Mai, M.C., Stone, E.T., Casals, A.G., Hassert, M., O’Dea, A.T., Cao, F., Donlin, M.J., Elagawany. M., Elegendy, B., Pardali, V., Giannakopoulou, E., Zoidis, G., Schiavone, D.V., Berkowitz, A.J., Agyemang, N.B., Murelli, R.P., Tavis, J.E., Pinto, A.K., & Brien, J.D. (2022) Metal coordinating inhibitors of Rift Valley fever virus replication. Plos One. Sep 16;17(9):e0274266. PMID: 36112605 PMCID: PMC9481026
9. Stone, E.T., Hassert, M., Geerling, E., Wagner, C., Brien, J.D., Ebel, G.D., Hirsch, A.J., German, C., Smith, J.L., & Pinto, A.K. (2022) Balanced T and B cell responses are required for immune protection against Powassan virus in virus-like particle vaccination. Cell Rep. Feb 15;38(7):110388. PMID: 35172138 PMCID: PMC8919300
10. Pinto, A. K.*, Hassert, M.*, Han, X., Barker, D., Carnelley, T., Branche, E., Steffen, T. L., Stone, E. T., Geerling, E., Viramontes, K. M., Nykiforuk, C., Toth, D., Shresta, S., Kodihalli, S., & Brien, J. D. (2021). The ability of Zika virus intravenous immunoglobulin to protect from or enhance Zika virus disease. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.717425
11. Geerling, E., Stone, E. T., Steffen, T. L., Hassert, M., Brien, J. D., & Pinto, A. K. (2021). Obesity Enhances Disease Severity in Female Mice Following West Nile Virus Infection. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.739025
12. Grady, S. F., Pinto, A. K., Hassert, M., D’Angelo, J. A., Brien, J. D., & Arnatt, C. K. (2021). Selective estrogen receptor modulator, tamoxifen, inhibits Zika virus infection. Journal of Medical Virology, 93(11), 6155–6162. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.27230
13. Hassert, M., Steffen, T.L., Scroggins, S., Coleman, A.K., Schacham, E., Brien, J.D., Pinto, A.K. (2021) Heterologous flavivirus exposure provides varying degrees of cross-protection from Zika virus in a mouse model of infection. Journal of Virology. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00573-21.
14. Wollner, C.J., Richner, M.C., Hassert, M., Pinto, A.K., Brien, J.D., Richner, J.M. (2021) A dengue virus serotype 1 mRNA-LNP vaccine elicits protective immune responses. Journal of Virology. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02482-20
15. Hassert, M., Geerling, E., Stone, E.T., Steffen, T.L., Feldman, M.S., Dickson, A.L., Class, J., Richner, J.M., Brien, J.D., Pinto, A.K. (2020) mRNA induced expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in mice for the study of the adaptive immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. PLOS Pathogens. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009163. PMID: 33326500
16. Hassert, M.*, Wolf, K.J.*, Rajeh, A., Shiebout, C., Hoft, S.G., Ahn, T.H., DiPaolo, R.J., Brien, J.D., Pinto, A.K., (2020) Diagnostic differentiation of Zika and dengue virus exposure by analyzing T cell receptor sequences from peripheral blood of infected HLA-A2 transgenic mice. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008896. PMCID: PMC7738164
17. Steffen, T.*, Hassert, M.*, Hoft, S.G., Stone, E.T., Zhang, J., Geerling, E., Grimberg, B.T., Roberts, M.S., Pinto, A.K., Brien, J.D. (2020) Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Recombinant Human Adenovirus Type 5 vaccine against Zika Virus. Vaccines. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8020170. PMCID: PMC7349816
18. Serrano-Collazo, C., Pѐrez-Guzmàn, E.X., Pantoja, P., Hassert, M.,… Sariol, C.A. (2020). Effective control of early Zika virus replication by Dengue immunity is associated to the length of time between the 2 infections but not mediated by antibodies. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008285. PMCID: PMC7255596
19. Pѐrez-Guzmàn, E.X., Pantoja, P., Serrano-Collazo, C., Hassert, M., … Sariol, C.A. (2019). Time elapsed between Zika and dengue virus infections affects antibody and T cell responses. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12295-2. PMCID: PMC6754404
20. Brien, J.D.*, Hassert, M.*, Stone, E.T, Geerling, E., Cruz-Orengo, L., & Pinto, A.K. (2019). Isolation and quantification of Zika virus from multiple organs in a mouse. JoVE. https://doi.org/10.3791/59632
21. Hassert, M., Harris, M.G., Brien, J.D., & Pinto, A.K. (2019). Identification of protective CD8+ T cell responses in mouse models of infection. Frontiers in Immunology, 10(1678). https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01678. PMCID: PMC6652237
22. Hassert, M., Brien, J.D., & Pinto, A.K. (2019). Mouse models of heterologous flavivirus immunity:  A role for cross-reactive T cells. Frontiers in Immunology, 10(1045). https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01045. PMCID PMC6520664
23. Hoyer, J. S., Pruneda-Paz, J. L., Breton, G., Hassert, M.., Holcomb, E. E., Fowler, H., . . . Carrington, J. C. (2018). Functional dissection of the ARGONAUTE7 promoter. Plant Direct. https://doi.org/10.1101/392910
24. Hassert, M., Wolf, K. J., Schwetye, K. E., DiPaolo, R. J., Brien, J. D., & Pinto, A. K. (2018). CD4 T cells mediate protection against Zika associated severe disease in a mouse model of infection. PLOS Pathogens,14(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007237
25. Hassert, M., Brien, J. D., & Pinto, A. K. (2018). The Temporal Role of Cytokines in Flavivirus Protection and Pathogenesis. Current Clinical Microbiology Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40588-018-0106-x
26. Williams, J. N., Kambrath, A. V., Patel, R. B., Kang, K. S., Mével, E., Li, Y., Hassert, M., . . . Sankar, U. (2018). Inhibition of CaMKK2 Enhances Fracture Healing by Stimulating Indian Hedgehog Signaling and Accelerating Endochondral Ossification. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research,33(5), 930-944. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3379
27. Pantoja, P., Pérez-Guzmán, E. X., Rodríguez, I. V., White, L. J., González, O., Serrano, C., Hassert, M., . . . Sariol, C. A. (2017). Zika virus pathogenesis in rhesus macaques is unaffected by pre-existing immunity to dengue virus. Nature Communications,8, 15674. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15674