David Ostrov University of Florida

David Ostrov

Associate professor

ostroda@pathology.ufl.edu 352-262-0624
  • Gainesville FL UNITED STATES
  • College of Medicine

Dr. David Ostrov is an expert on immunology, structural biology, and drug discovery in the areas of cancer therapeutics.

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Biography

Dr. David Ostrov is an experienced immunologist and structural biologist serving as the program leader for targeted therapeutics at UF Health Cancer Center. He uses X-ray crystallography and the HiPerGator supercomputer to shed light on how to boost the immune system and to combat a diverse set of human diseases.

Areas of Expertise

Covid
Autoimmunity
Drug Discovery
T cell immunobiology
Immunology
T Cell Immunology
Structual Biology
Cancer Biology
Viral Disease

Media Appearances

Can milk cure COVID-19? Not exactly, but a new treatment shows promise

The Hill  online

2023-10-28

“Got milk? Cure COVID” was a meme that started circulating after one of our discoveries from the University of Florida went public. It playfully highlighted a major medical milestone: We had found a combination of two over-the-counter products that could inhibit 99 percent of SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells, and one of them was milk-based.

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Dr. David Ostrov Discusses his Research on Early Drug Combinations for COVID-19

TrialSite News  tv

2022-01-23

Dr. David Ostrov PhD is an immunologist at the University of Florida who works in the pathology laboratories. His research team focuses on structure-based drug design to discover novel therapies for preventing and treating diseases. He's recently done research on how repurposed drugs and cheap drug combinations might prevent and/or treat COVID-19.

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Two common compounds show effectiveness against COVID-19 virus in early testing

UF Health  online

2021-11-22

A pair of over-the-counter compounds has been found in preliminary tests to inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19, University of Florida Health researchers have found. The combination includes diphenhydramine, an antihistamine used for allergy symptoms. When paired with lactoferrin, a protein found in cow and human milk, the compounds were found to hinder the SARS-CoV-2 virus during tests in monkey cells and human lung cells.

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Articles

Sigma Receptor Ligands Prevent COVID Mortality In Vivo: Implications for Future Therapeutics

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Reed L. Berkowitz, et. al

2023-10-29

The emergence of lethal coronaviruses follows a periodic pattern which suggests a recurring cycle of outbreaks. It remains uncertain as to when the next lethal coronavirus will emerge, though its eventual emergence appears to be inevitable. New mutations in evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants have provided resistance to current antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines, reducing their therapeutic efficacy. This underscores the urgent need to investigate alternative therapeutic approaches.

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Emerging mutation patterns in SARS-CoV-2 variants

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

David A. Ostrov, Glenn W. Knox

2021-11-22

There is an urgent need to understand the functional effects of mutations in emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Variants of concern (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) acquired four patterns of spike glycoprotein mutations that enhance transmissibility and immune evasion: 1) mutations in the N-terminal domain (NTD), 2) mutations in the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD), 3) mutations at interchain contacts of the spike trimer, and 4) furin cleavage site mutations.

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Highly Specific Sigma Receptor Ligands Exhibit Anti-Viral Properties in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells

Pathogens

María Dolores Piñeyro, et. al

2021-11-20

(1) Background: There is a strong need for prevention and treatment strategies for COVID-19 that are not impacted by SARS-CoV-2 mutations emerging in variants of concern. After virus infection, host ER resident sigma receptors form direct interactions with non-structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins present in the replication complex. (2) Methods: In this work, highly specific sigma receptor ligands were investigated for their ability to inhibit both SARS-CoV-2 genome replication and virus induced cellular toxicity.

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