Laura Palermo

Dr. Laura Palermo is a doctoral lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Hunter College and teaches the Human Biology Senior Capstone. Her work’s main focus is on viruses, public health and the global history of disease. In her courses, she combines both her expertise and teaching experience to address topics related to the social construction of health through the interdisciplinary lenses of social and biological sciences.

Prior to her work at Hunter, Dr. Palermo was appointed associate research scientist at Columbia Medical Center and Instructor at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she taught first-year medical students. For several years, she was also a lecturer at the New School, where she taught courses on the global histories of disease, viruses and vaccines in history, and the history of medicine. Dr. Palermo has published extensively in the field of virology and received several grants and fellowships during her career.

Her current research analyzes the impact of infectious diseases in the past and the present, emphasizing the Global South. This work focuses on the relationship between daily life, politics and health experts in Argentina during the pandemics of 1918 and Covid-19. Some of her past research has been published in the Journal of Virology, Nature Cell Biology and Scientific Reports.

Dr. Palermo is actively engaged in helping students to obtain support to advance their careers. She is a proud member of the Presidential Task Force to Advance Racial Equity at Hunter College and serves on the Admissions and Recruitment Committee. Through her teaching, Dr. Palermo aims to break down barriers and stereotypes that block cross-disciplinary dialogue and understanding.

Born in Argentina, Dr. Palermo was initially trained as a biologist at the University of Buenos Aires. She holds a PhD in virology from Cornell University and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Weill Cornell Medicine.

• Cornell University (PhD)
• Weill Cornell Medicine (Postdoc.)

• Chen Y, Huang S, Rodrigus Toste de Carvalho A, Ho S, Islam M, Volpi S, Notarangelo L, Ciancanelli M, Casanova J, Bhattyacharya J, Liang, F, Palermo LM, Porotto M, Moscona A, Snoeck H. (2017) “A three-dimensional model of human lung development and disease from pluripotent stem cells.” Nature Cell Biology. 19(5):542-549. doi: 10.1038/ncb3510
• Mathieu C, Augusto M, Niewiesk S, Horvart B, Palermo LM, Sanna G, Maduddu S, Huey D, Castanho M, Porotto M, Santos N, Moscona A. (2017) “Broad spectrum antiviral activity for paramyxoviruses is modulated by biophysical properties of fusion inhibitory peptides.” Scientific Reports. 7:43610. doi: 10.1038/srep43610.
• Figueria TN*, Palermo LM*, Veiga AS, Huey S, Alabi CA, Santos NC, Welsch JC, Mathieu C, Horvart, B, Niewiesk, S, Moscona, A, Castabho, MARB, Porotto, M. (2016). “In vivo efficacy of measles virus fusion protein-derived peptides is modulated by properties of self-assembly and membrane residence.” Journal of Virology. 91:1 17 e01554-16 * These authors contributed equally.
• Palermo LM, Uppal M, Skrabanek L, Zumbo P, Germer S, Toussaint NC, Rima BK, Huey D, Niewiesk S, Porotto M, Moscona A. (2016) “Features of Circulating Parainfluenza Virus Required for Growth in Human Airway.” MBio Mar15;7 (2) pii: e00235-16. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00235-16.
• Jurgens, E, EM, Mathieu C, Palermo LM, Hardie D, Horvat B, Moscona A, Porotto M. (2015) “Measles fusion machinery is dysregulated in neuropathogenic variants.” MBio. Feb 10;6(1). pii: e02528-14. doi: 10.1128/mBio.0252
• Palgen, JL, Jurgens, E, Moscona, A, Porotto, M, Palermo, LM (2014). “Unity in diversity: Shared mechanism of entry among paramyxoviruses.” Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science. 129:1-32. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2014.10.001.
• Xu, R, Palmer SG, Porotto, M, Palermo LM, Niewiesk, S., Wilson, IA, Moscona, A. (2013). “Interaction between the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase and fusion glycoproteins of human parainfluenza virus type III regulates viral growth in vivo.” MBio. vol. 4 no. 5e00803-13 doi: 10.1128/mBio.00803-1322
• Porotto M, Salah ZW, Gui L, DeVito, I, Jurgens EM, Lu H, Yokoyama CC, Palermo LM, Lee KK, Moscona A. (2012). “Regulation of paramyxovirus fusion activation: the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein stabilizes the fusion protein in a pretriggered state.” Journal of Virology. (23):12838-48.
• Palmer SG, Porotto M, Palermo LM, Cunha LF, Greengard O, Moscona A. (2012). “Adaptation of human parainfluenza virus to airway epithelium reveals fusion properties required for growth in host tissue.” MBio. Jun 5;3(3). pii: e00137-12. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00137-12
• Porotto M, Palmer SG, Palermo LM, Moscona A. (2012). “The mechanism of fusion triggering by human parainfluenza virus type III: communication between the viral glycoproteins during entry.” J. Biol. Chem. 287(1): 778-93
• Farzan, SF*, Palermo, LM*, Yokoyama, CC, Orefice G, Fornabaio, M, Sarkar, A, Kellogg, GE, Greengard, O, Porotto, M, Moscona, A. (2011). “Premature activation of the paramyxovirus fusion protein before target cell attachment: corruption of the viral fusion machinery.” J Biol Chem. 286 (44): 37945-54. * These authors contributed equally.
• Porotto M, Rockx, B., Yokoyama, C. Talekar, A. Palermo, LM, Cortese R. Pessi A, Moscona A. (2010). “Inhibition of Nipah Virus Infection In Vivo: Targeting an Early Stage of Paramyxovirus Fusion Activation during Viral Entry.” PLoS Pathogens. 6(10). e1001168 http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1001168
• Porotto M, Yokoyama CC, Palermo LM, Mungall B, Aljofan M, Cortese R, Pessi A, Moscona A. (2010). “Viral entry inhibitors targeted to the membrane site of action.” Journal of Virology. 84(13): 6760-8
• Palermo, L.M , Porotto, M. , Yokoyama, C., Palmer, S.G., Greengard, O. Mungall, B.A., Niewiesk, S., Moscona, A (2009). “Human parainfluenza virus infection of the airway epithelium: the viral hemagglutinin-neuraminidase regulates F-triggering and modulates infectivity.” Journal of Virology 83 (13): 6900-8.
• Hafenstein S., Bowman V.D., Sun T, Nelson C.D., Palermo L.M., Chipman P.R., Battisti A.J., Parrish C.R., Rossmann M.G. (2009). “Structural comparison of different antibodies interacting with parvovirus capsids.” Journal of Virology. 83(11):5556-66
• Palermo, L.M., Porotto, M., Greengard, O., Moscona, A. (2007). “Fusion promotion by a paramyxovirus HN: pH modulation of receptor avidity of binding sites I and II.” Journal of Virology. 81(17): 9152-9161
• Hafenstein, S. Palermo, L.M., Kostyuchenko, V.A., Xiao C., Morais M.C., Nelson, C.D., Bowman, V.D., Battisti, A.J., Chipman, P.R., Parrish, C.R., Rossmann, M.G. (2007). “Asymmetric binding of transferrin receptor to parvovirus capsids.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104(16): 6585-9.
• Nelson C.N., Palermo, L.M., Hafenstein, S. L., Parrish C.R. (2007). “Different mechanisms of antibody-mediated neutralization of parvoviruses revealed using the Fab fragments of monoclonal antibodies.” Virology. 361(2): 283-93
• Rossmann M.G., Arisaka F., Battisti A.J., Bowman V.D., Chipman P.R., Fokine A., Hafenstein S., Kanamaru S., Kostyuchenko V.A., Mesyanzhinov V.V., Shneider M.M., Morais M.C., Leiman P.G., Palermo L.M., Parrish C.R., Xiao C. (2007). “From structure of the complex to understanding of the biology.” Acta Cryst. D63, 9-16.
• Palermo, L.M., Hafenstein, S., Parrish, C.R. (2006). “Purified feline and canine transferrin receptors reveal complex interactions with the capsids of feline and canine parvoviruses that correspond to their host ranges.” Journal of Virology. 80(17): 8482-92.
• Hueffer, K., Palermo, L.M., Parrish, C.R. (2004). “Parvovirus infection of cells using variants of the feline transferrin receptor altering clathrin-mediated endocytosis, membrane domain localization and capsid binding domains.” Journal of Virology. 78(11): 5601-11.
• Palermo, L.M., Hueffer K., Parrish, C.R. (2003). “Residues in the apical domain of the feline and canine transferrin receptors control host-specific binding and cell infection of canine and feline parvoviruses.” Journal of Virology. 77(16): 8915-23.
• Castilla, V., Palermo, L.M., Coto, C. (2001). “Involvement of vacuolar proton ATPase on Junin virus multiplication.” Archives of Virology. 146: 251-263.

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