Dennis Lee Kasper MD

For more than three decades, Dennis Kasper has conducted research in microbiology, infectious diseases and public health while discharging a broad range of administrative and educational responsibilities. Dr. Kasper is the William Ellery Channing Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School. As Director of the Channing Laboratory, a research facility with a high international profile, he plays a powerful role in shaping cutting-edge research programs in infectious diseases and epidemiology.

Dr. Kasper has led studies on the molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis, focusing primarily on group B Streptococcus and Bacteroides fragilis. He has applied the substantial body of knowledge gained in these studies to elucidate the interactions of bacterial surface virulence factors with host defenses. His work has centered around the biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and immunology of polysaccharides.

Years of basic and translational research have culminatedin a group B streptococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine, targeting the most common bacterial cause of serious neonatal infections. Dr. Kasper's research on B. fragilis has revealed how bacteria induce the hallmark host response of abscess formation. This basic work has opened an avenue of investigation into a novel class of immunomodulators to prevent intraabdominal abscesses and adhesions.