Research philosophy

Current projects

Past research topics

Following the completion of my PhD, I stayed in the Schultz-Cherry lab for a short "post-doc" to wrap up final revision experiments and to expand my skills into viral surveillance at the human-animal interface. As part of a CEIRS/CEIRR funded project, I used a sero-survey based approach to assess anti-influenza antibodies in multiple human cohorts, with a specific interest in animal-origin influenza viruses.

Honce R and Schultz-Cherry S. Looking beyond the H5 avian influenza viruses. Cell. 14 September 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.014.

Honce R and Schultz-Cherry S. Shaping the pathogenesis of and host response to seasonal influenza virus through prior zoonotic infections. American Society for Virology Annual Meeting. Abstract and oral presentation. 2021.

Honce R and Schultz-Cherry S. Recipe for zoonosis: how influenza virus leaps into human circulation. Cell Host Microbe. 7 Oct 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.09.008. PMID: 33031768. 

The major focus of my dissertation work was understanding the host- and viral-mechanisms underlying increased viral disease severity in hosts with metabolic dysfunction. This work started with an investigation into how host heterogeneity effects influenza within- and between-host evolution and ended with identifying the immunological mechanisms which blunt vaccine and antiviral efficacy in these high-risk hosts. 

Honce R, Karlsson EA, Wohlgemuth N, Estrada LD, Meliopoulos VA, Yao J, Schultz-Cherry S. Obesity-related microenvironment promotes emergence of virulent influenza virus strains. mBio. 3 Mar 2020. doi: 10.1128/mBio.03341-19. PMID: 32127459. 

Honce R, Jones J, Livingston BL, Estrada LD, Wang L, Caulfield W, Freeman B, Govorkova E, Schultz-Cherry S. Efficacy of oseltamivir treatment in influenza virus-infected obese mice. mBio. 21 June 2023. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00887-23.

Meliopoulos V*, Honce R*, Livingston B, Hargest G, Frieden P, Lazure L, Brigleb P, Karlsson EA, Tillman H, Allen EK, Boyd D, Thomas P, Schultz-Cherry S. Diet-induced obesity impacts influenza virus disease severity and transmission dynamics in ferrets. Science Advances. 4 April 2024. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk9137.

Honce R*, Vazquez-Pagan A*, Livingston B, Mandarano AH, Wilander BA, Cherry S, Hargest V, Sharp B, Prigleb PH, Kirkpatrick Roubidoux E,  Van de Velde LA, Skinner RC, McGargill MA, Thomas PG, Schultz-Cherry S. Diet switch pre-vaccination improves immune response and metabolic status in formerly obese mice. Nature Microbiology. 18 April 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41564-024-01677-y. 

Knoll M, Honce R, Meliopoulos V, Schultz-Cherry S, Ghedin E, Gresham D. Host obesity impacts genetic variation in influenza A viral populations. Journal of Virology. 24 May 2024. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01778-23. 

*Indicates equal contribution

Taking some of the skills learned from my INBRE internship back to my home institution of West Virginia Wesleyan College, I managed a small, ecological-based research project born out of a term project in BIOL 320: Animal Behavior. Here, I led a team of researchers to 1) generate a wild-caught colony of Allegheny crayfish and 2) determine the effects of Na2SeO3 (sodium selenite)—a common pollutant of mountain streams—on crayfish aggression and feeding behaviors.  

Honce R, Bland CL, Davis RM, Sullivan, J. Effect of acid mine drainage on aggressive behavior of Appalachian crayfish. Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference. Buckhannon, WV. 1st Place Oral Presentation in Natural Sciences, Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference 

As part of the nationwide NIH-funded IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, I completed two consecutive summer-based research projects in the Department of Exercise Physiology at West Virginia University. Here, I quantified how exercise impacts molecular and immunological signatures of muscle wasting in rodent models of sarcopenia and cachexia.

“Sirtuin1 regulation of skeletal muscle regeneration.” WV-INBRE Summer Research Conference. Morgantown, WV. Poster presentation.  

“Effects of muscle-derived interleukin-15 on the percentage of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in a mouse model of breast cancer.” WV-INBRE Summer Research Conference. Huntington, WV. Poster presentation.