Investigators and Program Directors

Program Description and Research Interests

Dr. St. George is Director of the Clinical Virology Program which includes the Virus Reference and Surveillance Laboratory (VRSL), Viral Encephalitis Laboratory, Calicivirus Laboratory, Viral Genotyping Laboratory, Virology Proficiency Testing Laboratory, the Virology Molecular Development Team and the Special Projects Unit. Dr. St. George is also Virology Section Head for the Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP), with overall responsibility for the regulatory oversight of more than 300 clinical virology laboratories licensed in New York State.

Within the Clinical Virology Program Dr. St. George directs the VRSL, the Virology Proficiency Testing Laboratory, and the Special Projects Unit. The VRSL detects and characterizes human pathogenic viruses for surveillance, reference testing and the investigation of disease outbreaks with a combination of classical and molecular techniques. The VRSL is also a WHO Collaborating Laboratory for Influenza and provides testing for the NYS CDC-funded influenza sentinel physician program. Numerous molecular assays have been developed and implemented including those for influenza viruses, herpes group viruses, adeno and enteroviruses, with emphasis in recent years on real-time PCR platforms and multiplexing. This work is ongoing with the current development of real-time multiplexed assays for parainfluenza viruses and coronaviruses. A major new initiative is the development of antiviral resistance testing including genotypic and phenotypic assays for drug-resistant influenza viruses.

The Proficiency Testing Laboratory prepares and distributes six sub-categories of proficiency testing panels to NYS-licensed clinical virology laboratories. Panels are sent three times per year and results are evaluated to form a component of the overall performance assessment of licensed laboratories. Major recent developments in this program include restructuring of the virology categories and the development of an internet-based system for the electronic submission of proficiency test results. Work is proceeding with the development of molecular proficiency testing panels.

Research studies in the Special Projects Unit include influenza whole genomic sequencing, microarray development, investigations on the role of respiratory pathogens in pediatric deaths, and the pathogenesis of bocavirus. In collaboration with Dr. Jill Taylor at the Wadsworth Center, and investigators at the NIAID and The Institute for Genomic Research, analysis of whole genomic sequence data from more than a decade of influenza isolates in the Wadsworth Center's repository has generated major new findings on the evolution of influenza viruses. In collaboration with colleagues at Columbia University, influenza microarrays are being developed and tested against several decades of isolates from the program's archives as well as isolates from collaborators overseas.

Contact Information

Email: kxs16@health.state.ny.us