M. Sofi Ibrahim

Education: PhD, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health; Post-doctorate, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health Profession: U.S. Army (Military and Civilian, Ret.); served in the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1992 – 2010 (founded the molecular diagnostics department and the center for genomics; represented the institute and the U.S. government in numerous national and international collaboration); U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (Chemical Biological Center and Army Research Laboratory, 2010 – 2019 (lead scientist; strategic planning committee; assistant director); Defense Threat Reduction Agency, 2005 (therapeutics program coordinator); German Army Institute of Microbiology, 2014 – 2015 (senior visiting scientist); Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Program since, 2006 – present.

Research interest: Biodefense, Genomics, Molecular Diagnostics, Virology Selected awards: Army achievement medal, Army commendation medal, Army service medal, global war on terrorism service medal, guardian of freedom award, meritorious service medal, national defense ribbon, Southwest Asia medal with three bronze stars, superior unit award Patents: Canada (CA2351616 A1), Europe (EP1159071 A1, EP1159071 B1), Germany (DE69929826 D1), U.S. (US20010036630 A1, US20050221377 A1, US7862773 B2), World (WO2000030753 A1)

Selected publications:

• Orthopoxviruses and animal models for pathogenesis, vaccine and drug studies. Royal Society of Chemistry, London.
• Sequencing Ebola and Marburg viruses genomes using microarrays. Journal of Medical Virology.
• Generalized cowpox virus infection in an HIV patient, Germany, 2012. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
• Mobile diagnostics in outbreak response, not only for Ebola: a blueprint for a modular and robust field laboratory. Euro Surveillance.
• An approach for identification of unknown viruses using sequencing-by-hybridization. Journal of Medical Virology
• Gene expression profiling of monkeypox virus-infected cells reveals novel interfaces for host-virus interactions. Virology Journal.
• Inhibition of monkeypox virus replication by RNA interference. Virology Journal.
• Testing and Validation of High-Density Resequencing Microarray for Broad Range Biothreat Agents Detection. Plos One.
• Smallpox and related orthopoxviruses. The Textbook of Military Medicine, Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare.
• Detection of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin A and B genes with PCR-EIA and a hand-held electrochemical sensor. Molecular and Cellular Probes.
• Real-time PCR assay to detect smallpox virus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
• Real-Time microchip PCR for detecting single base difference in viral and human DNA. Analytical Chemistry.