Member, National Academy of Sciences
Academic Affiliation
Professor, School of Life Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Credentials
PhD, 1962, University of Chicago
Bio
Roy Curtiss, III, PhD, is the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology. He is a leader in exploring the genetic basis by which bacteria colonize, invade and induce disease. A member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, Curtiss seeks to create vaccines that are safe and effective.
Most recently, Curtiss’ focus has been on the design, construction and evaluation of recombinant genetically modified Salmonella vaccine strains as immunizing vectors to deliver protection against disease. The selected use of mutant derivatives of Salmonella to deliver protective antigens could safely induce immunity in both humans and livestock.
Specifically, current endeavors are directed at developing vaccines to prevent infections by: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Clostridium perfringens, ersinia pestis, enteric pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia, Shigella and Yersinia, Listeria monocytogenes, hepatitis B virus, influenza viruses (human and avian) and Eimeria species.
In addition to his extensive knowledge of bacterial genetics, Curtiss has considerable expertise in avian, plant and phage genetics. Curtiss’ body of published work includes more than 250 reviewed articles. He has been issued numerous patents for his discoveries, including one for the use of recombinant avirulent Salmonella, Escherichia and Salmonella-Escherichia hybrids as antigen delivery vectors to induce mucosal, systemic and cellular immunity.
Dubbed recently in the press as a “60-year-old biology superstar,” Curtiss was among the hand full of researchers and graduate students attending the Cold Spring Harbor symposium of 1958. The disciplines of molecular biology and genetics were just beginning and six of the scientists attending that meeting would later receive Nobel Prizes for groundbreaking research.
Before his time at ASU, Curtiss was the George William and Irene Keochig Freiberg professor of biology at Washington University where he chaired the Department of Biology from 1983-1993. In addition to his academic pursuits, Curtiss founded MEGAN Health, Inc. where he served as a member of the board of directors until 2000.
Curtiss participates in a number of national and international activities and is a member of the American Society for Microbiology Finance Committee, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a member of the NIH Vaccine Research Study Section. Since 2000, Dr. Curtiss has chaired the Board of Executive Editors, Escherichia coli & Salmonella: Cellular and Molecular Biology, ASM Press.
Curtis earned a BS from Cornell University and a PhD from the University of Chicago.