Andrea Pruijssers, PhD

Andrea earned a Masters of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Wageningen University in her home country, The Netherlands, studying viral components needed for baculovirus infection of the caterpillar host. During her Master's she also spent some time in the US identifying drug targets for the treatment of cryptosporiosis. Andrea then joined the laboratory of Michael Strand at University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where she characterized a family of virulence factors from the polydnavirus Microplitis demolitor Bracovirus and earned a PhD degree in Entomology. After graduation, she moved to Nashville, TN, to study reovirus neuropathogenesis in the laboratory of Terence Dermody at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. When the laboratory moved to another institution, Andrea joined the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research where she served as project manager for the Human Vaccines Project and contributed to the Drug Repurposing Program before returning to the bench. Her work in the Denison lab focuses on coronavirus antiviral therapies and mechanisms of drug resistance.