Alan L. Rothman

Biography

Dr. Rothman is an infectious diseases physician who has been conducting research on immunity and pathogenesis of viral diseases in humans for over 30 years. He has long-standing collaborations with colleagues in the US and internationally in Thailand, Europe, and Latin America. He has served on advisory committees for the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.

Research

Dr. Rothman’s research involves both clinical and basic research studies on pathogenesis and immunity of emerging and re-emerging viral infections. A focus of his research has been defining the viral and immune mechanisms involved in acute dengue virus (DENV) infection and their relationship to the viral hemorrhagic fever syndrome.

Dr. Rothman’s laboratory at URI examines viral replication and protein expression, the effects of infection on host cells, and the characteristics of virus-specific antibodies and T lymphocytes. Experiments are conducted using a variety of mammalian and insect cell cultures. Through its extensive international collaborations, the laboratory studies specimens from humans exposed to DENV and vaccines. The techniques employed include reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, fluorescence microscopy, immunoassays, and flow cytometry.

Education

B.A., Boston University
M.D., Boston University School of Medicine

Selected Publications

  • Sanchez-Vargas LA, Mathew A, Salje H, Sousa D, Casale NA, Farmer A, Buddhari D, Anderson K, Iamsirithaworn S, Kaewhiran S, Friberg H, Currier JR, Rothman AL. Protective Role of NS1-Specific Antibodies in the Immune Response to Dengue Virus through Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. J Infect Dis 2024. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae137. PubMed PMID: 38478732.
  • Williams RJ, Brintz BJ, Ribeiro Dos Santos G, Huang AT, Buddhari D, Kaewhiran S, Iamsirithaworn S, Rothman AL, Thomas S, Farmer A, Fernandez S, Cummings DAT, Anderson KB, Salje H, Leung DT. Integration of population-level data sources into an individual-level clinical prediction model for dengue virus test positivity. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadj9786. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adj9786. PubMed PMID: 38363842; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10871531.
  • Hamins-Puértolas M, Buddhari D, Salje H, Cummings DAT, Fernandez S, Farmer A, Kaewhiran S, Khampaen D, Iamsirithaworn S, Srikiatkhachorn A, Waickman A, Thomas SJ, Rothman AL, Endy T, Rodriguez-Barraquer I, Anderson KB. Household immunity and individual risk of infection with dengue virus in a prospective, longitudinal cohort study. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:274-283. doi: 10.1038/s41564-023-01543-3. PubMed PMID: 38110699; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10895643.
  • O’Driscoll M, Buddhari D, Huang AT, Waickman A, Kaewhirun S, Iamsirithaworn S, Khampaen D, Farmer A, Fernandez S, Rodriguez-Barraquer I, Srikiatkhachorn A, Thomas S, Endy T, Rothman AL, Anderson K, Cummings DAT, Salje H. Maternally derived antibody titer dynamics and risk of hospitalized infant dengue disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308221120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2308221120. PubMed PMID: 37774093; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10576102.
  • Lambrechts L, Reiner RC Jr, Briesemeister MV, Barrera P, Long KC, Elson WH, Vizcarra A, Astete H, Bazan I, Siles C, Vilcarromero S, Leguia M, Kawiecki AB, Perkins TA, Lloyd AL, Waller LA, Kitron U, Jenkins SA, Hontz RD, Campbell WR, Carrington LB, Simmons CP, Ampuero JS, Vasquez G, Elder JP, Paz-Soldan VA, Vazquez-Prokopec GM, Rothman AL, Barker CM, Scott TW, Morrison AC. Direct mosquito feedings on dengue-2 virus-infected people reveal dynamics of human infectiousness. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011593. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011593. PubMed PMID: 37656759; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10501553.