Robert V. Blair, PhD, DVM, DACVP
Assistant Professor
Education & Affiliations
Biography
Primary Research Interests
Dr. Blair contributes to the mission of the TNPRC primarily by serving as a research pathologist responsible for interpretation of necropsy, biopsy and clinical pathology findings on research and colony animals. As an ACVP Board Certified pathologist, he is vital to our training mission. Dr. Blair holds weekly training and general pathology sessions for veterinary students/residents. Since completing his Ph.D. through the T32 program, he has taken an active role in management of the T32 training program here at the center. Dr. Blair has also been involved in collaborative research projects including SIV, CMV, zika virus, tuberculosis, and Lyme disease. Dr. Blair is interested in applying computer based methodologies to quantify histopathologic lesions to better characterize and compare animal disease models.
Dr. Blair is the Co-Director of the T32 Institutional Training Program at the Tulane National Primate Research Center.
Publications
Magnani DM, Rogers TF, Maness NJ, Grubaugh ND, Beutler N, Bailey VK, Gonzalez-Nieto L, Gutman MJ, Pedreno-Lopez N, Kwal JM, Ricciardi MJ, Myers TA, Julander JG, Bohm RP, Gilbert MH, Schiro F, Aye PP, Blair RV, Martins MA, Falkenstein KP, Kaur A, Curry CL, Kallas EG, Desrosiers RC, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ, Whitehead SS, Andersen KG, Bonaldo MC, Lackner AA, Panganiban AT, Burton DR, Watkins DI. Fetal demise and failed antibody therapy during Zika virus infection of pregnant macaques. Nat Commun. 2018;9(1):1624. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04056-4. PubMed PMID: 29691387
PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5915455; Nelson CS, Cruz DV, Tran D, Bialas KM, Stamper L, Wu H, Gilbert M, Blair R, Alvarez X, Itell H, Chen M, Deshpande A, Chiuppesi F, Wussow F, Diamond DJ, Vandergrift N, Walter MR, Barry PA, Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Koelle K, Kaur A, Permar SR. Preexisting antibodies can protect against congenital cytomegalovirus infection in monkeys. JCI insight. 2017;2(13). doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.94002. PubMed PMID: 28679960; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5499366
Breed MW, Elser SE, Torben W, Jordan AP, Aye PP, Midkiff C, Schiro F, Sugimoto C, Alvarez-Hernandez X, Blair RV, Somasunderam A, Utay NS, Kuroda MJ, Pahar B, Wiseman RW, O'Connor DH, LaBranche CC, Montefiori DC, Marsh M, Li Y, Piatak M, Jr., Lifson JD, Keele BF, Fultz PN, Lackner AA, Hoxie JA. Elite Control, Gut CD4 T Cell Sparing, and Enhanced Mucosal T Cell Responses in Macaca nemestrina Infected by a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Lacking a gp41 Trafficking Motif. Journal of virology. 2015;89(20):10156-75. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01134-15. PubMed PMID: 26223646; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4580161
