The Doctor of Philosophy Seminar and Examination of Morgen VanderGiessen

Biography

Morgen VanderGiessen is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences at Virginia Tech and a member of the Infectious Diseases Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program. Prior to her Ph.D., Morgen completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech, where her research was centered on mosquito host-seeking behaviors, including how urbanization and volatile organic compounds, such as those found in personal care products, can attract mosquitoes. Morgen’s dissertation work primarily focuses on the neurological consequences of viral infection and the identification of antiviral and neuroprotective therapeutics against alphaviruses. Morgen's research utilizes traditional rodent behavioral tests, multi-omic analysis, and pathway-driven drug discovery to uncover biomarkers and gene expression profiles associated with viral infections. This work is part of a larger effort within the Kehn-Hall lab to investigate overlapping neurological features of viral diseases, traumatic brain injuries, and chemical exposures

Funded by

• Center For Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CEZAP)
• VMCVM Office of Research and Graduate Studies
• Virginia Tech Graduate School Provost’s Research Assistantship
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Grant HDTRA1‐22-1‐0009

Awards and Academic Achievements

• UW-Madison Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center (SCRMC) Wisconsin Stem Cell Graduate Scholar Award, April 2025.
• Nominated for the Outstanding Doctoral Student in Interdisciplinary Programs Award, Virginia Tech Graduate School, March 2024.
• Nominated to The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), Virginia Tech, January 2025.
• Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) BSL-3 Training/Transboundary Animal Disease Summer Program, USDA, June 2024.
• Best Poster Award, Virginia Drug Discovery Consortium (VADDC) symposium, May 2024.
• Outstanding Poster Award, Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, March 2024.
• American Society for Virology Travel Award, April 2023.
• Graduate Travel Fund Program Award, Graduate School, March 2023.
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) Scientist Training Program Fellowship (NSTP), November 2022, Declined.
• American Society for Virology Travel Award, June 2022.
• Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens Travel Award, April 2022.
• Biomedical and Veterinary Science Travel Award, Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, March 2022.
• Provost’s Research Assistantship in Infectious Disease, Virginia Tech, August 2021-June 2022.

Lay Language Abstract 

Virus infections can invade the brain and cause long-term symptoms, including seizures, light sensitivity, and personality alterations, such as behavioral and emotional changes. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is known to induce neurological changes in both humans and horses and can be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito or as a potential bioweapon through aerosol inhalation. There are currently no publicly available vaccines or antivirals for humans, partially because the neurological impact of this virus is not fully understood. To bridge this gap, we investigated the role of viral infection in causing long-term neurological changes, including anxiety, memory, and neuromuscular function. We then correlate these changes with structural alterations in the brain, including critical cell populations such as neurons and microglia. Using multiple methods to look at changes in gene expression and protein expression in areas of the brain critical to memory formation, we can identify drivers of inflammation and neurological damage caused by this virus. Finally, we use this information to identify proteins/pathways that can be targeted using currently available therapeutics. Together, this research highlights the role of viral infections on long-term neurological changes and potential therapeutic avenues to reduce the long-term implications of viral infections in the brain.

Publications

VanderGiessen, M., Heath, B., Woodson, C., Kehn-Hall, K., Pifithrin-m provides antiviral and anti-apoptotic protection against alphaviruses (In prep. for submission May 15, 2025).

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Stocker, T., Carey, B., Jamui, A., Kehn-Hall, K., VEEV suppresses p53 activation to promote replication (In prep. for submission May 1, 2025).

VanderGiessen, M., Harris, L., Yin, L., Heath, B., Woodson, C., Theus, M., Johnson, E., Kehn-Hall, K., Wu, X., Xie., H., Hippocampal single-cell transcriptomic changes and cellular remodeling is associated with chronic neurobehavioral outcomes following alphavirus infection (under review).

Yin, L., VanderGiessen, M., Kumar, V., Conacher, B., Chao P., Theus, M., Johnson, E., Kehn-Hall, K., Wu, X., Xie., H., Machine Learning Identifies Genes Linked to Neurological Disorders Induced by Equine Encephalitis viruses (EEV), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and Organophosphorus nerve agents (OPNA), Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience (under revision).

VanderGiessen, M., Jamui, A., Heath, B., Akhyrmuk, I., Kehn-Hall, K., Cellular Takeover: How New World Alphaviruses impact Host Organelle Function, Virology, 2024, 603:110365.

VanderGiessen, M., de Jager, C., Theus, M., Johnson, E., Kehn-Hall, K., Neurological Manifestations of Encephalitic alphaviruses, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Organophosphorus nerve agent exposure, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2024, 18.

Presentations

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Alphavirus infection causes chronic neurobehavioral outcomes, cellular remodeling, and hippocampal single-cell transcriptomic changes similar to neurodegenerative diseases, Translational and Commercial Applications of Stem Cell-Derived Technologies, April 2025.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn- Hall, K., Characterization of neurological sequelae induced by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), Chemical and Biological Defense Science and Technology Conference, December 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Health, B., Woodson, C., Kehn-Hall, K., Pifithrin-u suppresses autophagy to reduce Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) replication, Women in Autophagy, October 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Harris, L., Woodson, C., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Characterization of neurological sequelae resulting from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens Symposium, August 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Comparative analysis of TBI, OPNA, and encephalitic alphaviruses as a path to neuroprotective therapeutics, Military Health System Research Symposium, August 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Comparative analysis of TBI, OPNA, and encephalitic alphaviruses as a path to neuroprotective therapeutics, Virginia Drug Discovery Consortium, May 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Comparative analysis of TBI, OPNA, and encephalitic alphaviruses as a path to neuroprotective therapeutics, Pandemic, Prediction and Prevention Destination Area Symposium, May 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Comparative analysis of TBI, OPNA, and encephalitic alphaviruses as a path to neuroprotective therapeutics, Biomedical and Veterinary Science Symposium, March 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Woodson, C., Harris, L., de Jager, C., Wu, X., Johnson, E., Theus, M., Xie, H., Kehn-Hall, K., Comparative analysis of TBI, OPNA, and encephalitic alphaviruses as a path to neuroprotective therapeutics, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens Seminar, January 2024.

VanderGiessen., M, Akhrymuk, I.A. Jamiu A., Kehn-Hall, K., MDM2 overexpression reduces Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Production independently of its E3 ligase activity and the proteasome. Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens Symposium, Virginia Tech, October 2023.

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Kehn-Hall, K., HDM2 inhibitor NVP-CGM097 significantly reduces alphavirus replication in microglia, American Society for Virology, June 2023.

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Kehn-Hall, K., Activation of cell apoptosis pathway as potential antiviral against neurovirulent viruses: HDM2 inhibitor NVP-CGM097 significantly reduces alphavirus replication in microglia, Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery Annual Symposium, Virginia Tech, April 2023.

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Kehn-Hall, K., Activation of cell apoptosis pathway as potential antiviral against neurovirulent viruses, Graduate and Professional Student Senate Symposium, Virginia Tech, March 2023.

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Kehn-Hall, K., HDM2 inhibitor NVP-CGM097 significantly reduces alphavirus replication in microglia, Biomedical and Veterinary Science Symposium, March 2023.15. VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Campbell, C., Narayanan, A., Kehn-Hall, K., Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replication is impacted by p53 modulation, Biomedical and Veterinary Science Seminar, October 2022.

VanderGiessen, M., Callahan, V., Carey, B., Campbell, C., Narayanan, A., Kehn-Hall, K., Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replication is impacted by p53 modulation, American Society for Virology, July 2022.

Examination Graduate Committee

Major Advisor/Chair:

Dr. Kylene Kehn-Hall, PhD
Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
Director, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens

Graduate Advising Committee Members:

Dr. Timothy Jarome, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Animal Science
School of Neuroscience

Dr. Michelle Theus, PhD
Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology

Dr. Hehuang (David) Xie, PhD
Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology