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David Diemert Professor of Medicine Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine (Secondary) Office Phone: 202-994-2909 Email: Email Department: Medicine |
Education
- BMS, University Alberta, 1993
- MD, University Alberta, 1995
Biography
Dr. David Diemert is Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine (primary) and Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine (secondary) at GW. Additionally, he is the Clinical Director of GW Vaccine Research Unit (GW VRUS), which is a collaboration between the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and GW MFA. At GW, Dr. Diemert is also the co-Director of the Immunology, Hematology, Inflammation and Infection block of the preclinical medical student curriculum. Prior to joining GW, Dr. Diemert worked for four years at the Malaria Vaccine Development Branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he was responsible for conducting clinical trials of novel malaria vaccines, both in the United States and in Mali, West Africa. Dr. Diemert earned his medical degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and completed residency and fellowship training at McGill University in Montreal. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Canada) with certification in the specialties of internal medicine, infectious diseases and medical microbiology. Additionally, he received training in clinical tropical medicine through the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Gorgas Course in Lima, Peru.
Research
Dr. Diemert’s research is focused on conducting clinical trials to develop new vaccines for neglected tropical diseases and viral infections in the United States, Brazil, and Africa. He has served as the Principal Investigator on multiple clinical trials of hookworm, schistosomiasis, malaria, flavivirus and HIV vaccines. More recently, he has developed a controlled infection model at GW to test the efficacy of investigational human hookworm vaccines. He currently has funding from NIAID/NIH, US Department of Defense, the European Commission, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).
Dr. Diemert’s work in Brazil has involved establishing a clinical trial site in partnership with the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), which has included establishing a clinic in a rural area of Brazil, assembling and training a Brazilian clinical trials team, establishing quality laboratory facilities at the field site, conducting preparatory studies of helminth epidemiology and immunology, and overseeing several Phase 1 and 2 trials of investigational vaccines.
For more information, please visit the GW Vaccine Research Unit website.
Publications
Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Bethony JM, Diemert D. Advances in the Development of a Human Schistosomiasis Vaccine. Trends Parasitol. 2018 Nov 16.
Diemert DJ, Bottazzi ME, Plieskatt J, Hotez PJ, Bethony JM. Lessons along the Critical Path: Developing Vaccines against Human Helminths. Trends Parasitol. 2018 Jul 28. pii: S1471-4922(18)30143-0.
Diemert D, Campbell D, Brelsford J, Leasure C, Li G, Peng J, Zumer M, Younes N, Bottazzi ME, Mejia R, Pritchard DI, Hawdon JM, Bethony JM. Controlled Human Hookworm Infection: Accelerating Human Hookworm Vaccine Development. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2018 Apr 19;5(5):ofy083.
Baay MFD, Richie TL, Neels P; Session chairs at the second Human Challenge Trials meeting (Cavaleri M, Chilengi R, Diemert D, Hoffman SL, Johnson R, Kirkpatrick BD, Knezevic I, Laurens M, McShane H, Njuguna P, Older Aguilar A, Pollard AJ, Riddle M, Sauerwein R, Southern J, Tribble D, Wildfire)., Human challenge trials in vaccine development, Rockville, MD, USA, September 28-30, 2017, Biologicals, 2018 Mar.
Diemert D, Freire J, Valente V, Fraga G, Talles F, Grahek S, Campbell D, Periago MV, Enk M, Gazzinelli MF, Bottazzi ME, Hamilton R, Brelsford J, Yakovleva A, Li G, Peng J, Correa-Oliveira O, Hotez P, Bethony J. Safety and Immunogenicity of the Na-GST-1 Hookworm Vaccine in Brazilian and American Adults. PLOS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 May 2;11(5):e0005574.
Brelsford JB, Plieskatt JL, Yakovleva A, Li G, Keegan BP, Jariwala A, Peng J, Xia P, Campbell D, Periago MV, Correa-Oliveira R, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Bethony JM, Diemert D. Advances in Neglected Tropical Disease Vaccines: Developing Relative Potency and Functional Assays for the Na-GST-1/Alhydrogel Hookworm Vaccine. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Feb 13;11(2):e0005385.
Diemert DJ, Lobato L, Styczynski A, Zumer M, Soares A, Gazzinelli MF. A Comparison of the Quality of Informed Consent for Clinical Trials of an Experimental Hookworm Vaccine Conducted in Developed and Developing Countries. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Jan 23;11(1):e0005327.
Loukas A, Hotez PJ, Diemert D, Yazdanbakhsh M, McCarthy JS, Correa-Oliveira R, Croese J, Bethony JM. Hookworm infection. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016 Dec 8;2:16088.
Bartsch SM, Hotez PJ, Asti L, Zapf KM, Bottazzi ME, Diemert DJ, Lee BY. The Global Economic and Health Burden of Human Hookworm Infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Sep 8;10(9):e0004922.
Gazzinelli MF, Lobato L, Andrade G, Matoso LF, Diemert DJ, Gazzinelli A. Improving the understanding of schistosomiasis among adolescents in endemic areas in Brazil: A comparison of educational methods. Patient Educ Couns. 2016 Oct;99(10):1657-62.
Bartsch SM, Hotez PJ, Hertenstein DL, Diemert DJ, Zapf KM, Bottazzi ME, Bethony JM, Brown ST, Lee BY. Modeling the economic and epidemiologic impact of hookworm vaccine and mass drug administration (MDA) in Brazil, a high transmission setting. Vaccine. 2016 Apr 27;34(19):2197-206.
Periago MV, Diniz RC, Pinto SA, Yakovleva A, Correa-Oliveira R, Bethony JM, Diemert DJ. The Right Tool for the Job: Detection of Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Areas Co-endemic for Other Helminths. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2015 Aug 4;9(8):e0003967.
Blair P, Diemert D. Update on prevention and treatment of intestinal helminth infections. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2015 Mar;17(3):465.
Lobato L, Bethony JM, Pereira FB, Grahek SL, Diemert D, Gazzinelli MF. Impact of gender on the decision to participate in a clinical trial: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pub Health 2014. Nov 6;14:1156.
Saichua P, Sithithaworn P, Jariwala AR, Diemert DJ, Sithithaworn J, Sripa B, Laha T, Mairiang E, Pairojkul C, Khuntikeo N, Mulvenna J, Bethony JM. Microproteinuria during Opisthorchis viverrini infection: a biomarker for advanced renal and hepatobiliary pathologies from chronic opisthorchiasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013 May 23;7(5):e2228.
Diemert D, Hotez P, Bacon KM, Beaumier C, Bethony JM, Bottazzi ME, Brooker S, Couto AR, da Silva Freire M, Homma A, Lee BY, Loukas A, Loblack M, Morel CM, Correa Oliveira R, Russell PK. The Human Hookworm Vaccine. Vaccine. 2013 Apr 18;31 Suppl 2:B227-32.
Geiger SM, Jardim-Botelho A, Williams W, Diemert D, Alexander N, Bethony JM. Serum CCL11 (eotaxin) and CCL17 (TARC) are serological indicators for multiple helminth infections and are driven by Schistosoma mansoni infection in humans. Trop Med Int Health. 2013;18(6):750-760.
Diemert DJ, Pinto AG, Freire J, Jariwala A, Santiago H, Hamilton RG, Periago MV, Loukas A, Tribolet L, Mulvenna J, Correa-Oliveira R, Hotez PJ, Bethony JM. Generalized urticaria induced by the Na-ASP-2 hookworm vaccine: Implications for the development of vaccines against helminths. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Jul;130(1):169-176.
Pearson MS, Tribolet L, Cantacessi C, Periago MV, Valerio MA, Jariwala AR, Hotez P, Diemert D, Loukas A, Bethony J. Molecular mechanisms of hookworm disease: Stealth, virulence, and vaccines. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Jul;130(1):13-21.
Zhan B, Santiago H, Keegan B, Gillespie P, Xue J, Bethony J, de Oliveira LM, Jiang D, Diemert D, Xiao SH, Jones K, Feng X, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. Fusion of Na-ASP-2 with human immunoglobulin Fc? abrogates histamine release from basophils sensitized with anti-Na-ASP-2 IgE. Parasite Immunol. 2012 Aug- Sep;34(8-9):404-11.
Schneider B, Jariwala AR, Periago MV, Gazzinelli MF, Bose SN, Hotez PJ, Diemert DJ, Bethony JM. A history of hookworm vaccine development. Hum Vaccin 2011;7(11):1234-1244.
Geiger SM, Alexander N, Fujiwara RT, Brooker S, Cundill B, Diemert DJ, Corrêa- Oliveira R, Bethony JM. Necator americanus and helminth co-infections: further down-modulation of hookworm-specific type 1 immune responses. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011;5(9):e1280.
Cundill B, Alexander N, Bethony JM, Diemert D, Pullan RL, Brooker S. Rates and intensity of re-infection with human helminths after treatment and the influence of individual, household, and environmental factors in a Brazilian community. Parasitol 2011 Sep;138(11):1406-16.
Alexander N, Cundill B, Sabatelli L, Bethony JM, Diemert D, Hotez P, Smith PG, Rodrigues LC, Brooker S. Selection and quantification of infection endpoints for trials of vaccines against intestinal helminths. Vaccine 2011; 29(20):3686-94.
Hotez PJ, Bethony JM, Diemert DJ, Pearson M, Loukas A. Developing vaccines to combat hookworm infection and intestinal schistosomiasis. Nature Reviews Microbiology (2010); 8: 814-26.
Jariwala AR, Oliveira LM, Diemert DJ, Keegan B, Plieskatt JL, Periago MV, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Bethony JM. Potency testing for the experimental Na- GST-1 hookworm vaccine. Expert Reviews of Vaccines (2010); 9: 1219-30.
Gazzinelli MF, Lobato L, Matoso L, Avila R, Marques RD, Brown AS, Correa- Oliveira R, Bethony JM, Diemert, DJ. Health education through analogies: preparation of a community for clinical trials of a vaccine against hookworm in an endemic area of Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis (2010); 4(7):e749.
Bethony JM, Diemert DJ, Oliveira SC, Loukas A. Can schistosomiasis really be consigned to history without a vaccine? Vaccine (2008); 26(27-28):3373-6.
Miura K, Zhou H, Moretz SE, Diouf A, Thera MA, Dolo A, Doumbo O, Malkin E, Diemert D, Miller LH, Mullen GED, Long CA. Comparison of Biological Activity of Human Anti-Apical Membrane Antigen-1 Antibodies Induced by Natural Infection and Vaccination. J Immunol (2008); 181: 8776-8783.
Duan J, Mu J, Thera MA , Joy D, Kosakovsky-Pond SL, Diemert D, Long C, Zhou H, Miura K, Ouattara A, Dolo A, Doumbo OK, Su X, Miller LH. Population structure of the genes encoding the polymorphic P. falciparum apical membrane antigen1: implications for vaccine design. PNAS (2008); 105(22):7857-62
Jardim-Botelho A, Raff S, Rodrigues R, Hoffman HJ, Diemert DJ, Correa-Oliveira R, Bethony JM, Gazzinelli MF. Hookworm, A. lumbricoides infection and polyparasitism associated with poor cognitive performance in Brazilian schoolchildren. Trop Med Int Health (2008); 13(8):994-1004.
Bethony JM, Simon G, Diemert DJ, Parenti D, Desrosiers A, Schuck S, Fujiwara R, Santiago H, Hotez PJ. Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind Trial of the Na-ASP-2 Hookworm Vaccine in Unexposed Adults. Vaccine (2008); 26(19):2408-17.
Jardim-Botelho A, Brooker B, Geiger SM, Fleming F, Lopes ACS, Diemert DJ, Correa-Oliveira R, Bethony JM. Age patterns in undernutrition and helminth infection in as rural area of Brazil. Trop Med Int Health (2008); 13(4):458-67.
Diemert DJ, Bethony JM, Hotez PJ. Hookworm Vaccines. Clin Infect Dis. (2008); 46:282-288
Industry Relationships and Collaborations
This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported a financial interest with the health care related companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the University and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.
- None
