Professor in Surgery
Synthetic Virology & Gene Therapy
Appointments and Affiliations
- Professor in Surgery
- Director of Gene Therapy
- Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
- Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
Contact Information
- Email Address: aravind.asokan@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2004
Research Interests
Virology
RNA Biology
Viral Engineering
RNA Engineering
Gene Therapy
Gene Editing
Gene Regulation
Regenerative Medicine
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2025
Courses Taught
- BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
- BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
- BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
- BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
In the News
- A New Way for the Body’s Own Cells to Fight Cancer (Apr 24, 2026 | Duke Today)
- Duke Researchers Selected to National Academy of Inventors (Dec 11, 2025 | Duke…
- Duke Companies and Faculty Share Ideas with Investors at Triangle Venture Day (…
- Gene Therapy for Heart Attacks in Mice Just Got More Precise (Dec 13, 2022)
Representative Publications
- Wu, Helen L., Gabriela M. Webb, Sebastian P. Fuchs, Cleiton T. Pessoa, Joseph M. Hwang, Hannah K. Fisher, Allyson J. McCullen, et al. “Adeno-associated virus gene therapy-mediated CCR5 blockade suppresses virus replication long term in SHIV-infected macaques.” Sci Transl Med 18, no. 847 (April 29, 2026): eadw1976. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adw1976.
- Brown, David A., Katja K. Koll, Erin Brush, Grant Darner, Timothy Curtis, Thomas Dvergsten, Melissa Tran, et al. “Enhancer-directed gene delivery for digit regeneration based on conserved epidermal factors.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 123, no. 17 (April 28, 2026): e2532804123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2532804123.
- Nyberg, William A., Pierre-Louis Bernard, Wayne Ngo, Charlotte H. Wang, Jonathan Ark, Allison Rothrock, Gina M. Borgo, et al. “In vivo site-specific engineering to reprogram T cells.” Nature 652, no. 8110 (April 2026): 712–21. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10235-x.
- Hickman, Peyton G., Aravind Asokan, and Matthew H. Wilson. “Rewriting Renal Fate: The Evolving Landscape of Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Kidney Gene Therapies.” Kidney360 7, no. 2 (February 1, 2026): 422–25. https://doi.org/10.34067/KID.0000001119.
- Loeb, Ezra J., Sophia A. Fergione, Vivian Yudistyra, Marco M. Fanous, Abigail R. Benkert, Delaney G. Fisher, Joshua A. Hull, Mai K. ElMallah, and Aravind Asokan. “Complete neutralizing antibody evasion by serodivergent non-mammalian AAVs enables gene therapy redosing.” Cell Rep Med 6, no. 12 (December 16, 2025): 102475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102475.