Ohio State names new leaders for retrovirus research center
Bottom line
Version 1
Ohio State University has named Shan-Lu Liu, MD, PhD, as director of its Center for Retrovirus Research and Amanda R. Panfil, PhD, as associate director, effective July 1, 2026, according to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The leadership change puts two veterinary biosciences faculty members at the helm of a long-running interdisciplinary center whose work spans retrovirology, immunology, molecular biology, and infectious disease research with implications for both human and animal health. Ohio State says the center dates to the early 1970s and was formally designated a university Center of Excellence in 1989. (vet.osu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is mainly a workforce and research-infrastructure story. The center has a deep history in comparative and translational virology, including work tied to feline retrovirus vaccine development and broader studies of HIV, HTLV-1, and other emerging viruses. Liu brings a high-profile virology portfolio and has recently been recognized by Ohio State for research that has informed vaccine-related decision-making, while Panfil has been building a program that includes NIH-supported work on HTLV-1 transmission. That combination could help sustain funding, trainee recruitment, and cross-campus collaboration at a time when veterinary colleges are increasingly central to zoonotic disease and One Health research. (vet.osu.edu)
What to watch: Watch for whether the new leadership signals changes in research priorities, recruitment, grant activity, or partnerships across Ohio State’s infectious disease and comparative medicine programs. (vet.osu.edu)
Version 2
Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine has announced new leadership for its Center for Retrovirus Research, with Shan-Lu Liu, MD, PhD, becoming director and Amanda R. Panfil, PhD, becoming associate director effective July 1, 2026. The move places two active retrovirology researchers in charge of one of the university’s longest-standing interdisciplinary infectious disease centers, a program with roots in both veterinary medicine and human health research. (vet.osu.edu)
The appointment matters in part because of the center’s history and reach. Ohio State says its retrovirus research program was organized in the early 1970s with NIH support and was officially designated a university academic Center of Excellence in 1989. Today, the center includes 20 principal investigators across Ohio State, Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and Wright State University, reflecting a collaborative model that spans virology, pathology, immunology, cell biology, pharmacology, and infectious diseases. (vet.osu.edu)
That background helps explain why leadership changes here carry weight beyond a single lab or department. The center highlights more than 60 extramural projects over the past 30 years and points to Ohio State research that contributed to development of a feline retrovirus vaccine, with royalties later flowing to the university through a product licensed to Zoetis. In other words, this is not just a basic science hub. It has a track record of translating retrovirus research into veterinary relevance. (vet.osu.edu)
Liu steps into the role after serving as associate director of the center. His faculty profile lists research interests that include host restriction to viral infection, viral countermeasures, viral membrane fusion and entry, innate and adaptive immunity, and viral cell-to-cell transmission. His model systems extend beyond HIV to Ebola virus, SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus, Zika virus, hepatitis C virus, and oncogenic sheep retroviruses, underscoring the comparative and cross-species lens he brings to the job. Ohio State also recently named him a 2026 Distinguished University Professor, saying his work has shaped understanding of virus-host interactions and viral pathogenesis and has informed U.S. Food and Drug Administration decisions on COVID-19 vaccine formulations. (vet.osu.edu)
Panfil’s promotion to associate director also fits the center’s bench-strength story. Ohio State’s retrovirus research newsletter notes that she joined the faculty and center in 2020, and more recent center updates say she received an NIH R21 award to study a drug approach to block HTLV-1 transmission. While her public faculty page is less descriptive than Liu’s, Ohio State identifies her as a member of Veterinary Biosciences and the Center for Retrovirus Research, reinforcing that the new leadership team is being drawn from investigators already embedded in the center’s scientific and training mission. (vet.osu.edu)
Public expert reaction to this specific appointment appears limited so far, but the surrounding signals from Ohio State are notable. Liu’s faculty page says he served as president of the American Society for Virology for 2025-2026, and Ohio State has repeatedly highlighted his role in strengthening the center’s national profile. The center’s own recent highlights also point to momentum in grant support, including NIH, USDA, and cancer-focused funding across affiliated investigators. That suggests the leadership transition is happening from a position of institutional strength rather than reset. (vet.osu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, especially those tracking education and workforce trends, the story is less about administration alone and more about what leadership continuity can mean for research ecosystems. Centers like this help attract graduate students, postdocs, clinician-scientists, and external funding, and they often shape how veterinary colleges contribute to One Health priorities such as zoonotic spillover, viral pathogenesis, and translational therapeutics. With Liu’s background in emerging viruses and Panfil’s HTLV-1 work, Ohio State appears to be reinforcing a model in which veterinary medicine remains tightly linked to broader biomedical research agendas. That can influence training opportunities, collaborative grant pipelines, and the visibility of veterinary scientists in national infectious disease conversations. (vet.osu.edu)
What to watch: The next signals will likely be practical ones: whether the center updates its strategic priorities, announces new faculty recruitment, expands trainee programs, or lands additional multi-investigator funding under the new team. It’s also worth watching how closely the center aligns with Ohio State’s wider infectious disease infrastructure, including the Infectious Diseases Institute, where Liu already holds a leadership role, and whether that translates into more visible comparative virology work with direct relevance for animal and public health. (faculty.osu.edu)