Patrick Moore, M.D., MPH

  • Distinguished and American Cancer Society Professor
  • Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  • Cancer Virology Program

Education & Training

  • MPH, University of California, Berkely 2001
  • Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), Centers for Disease Control 1989
  • M.D., University of Utah, College of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 1985
  • M.S., Biophysical Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 1980
  • B.S., Bio/Chem, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1977

Research Interest Summary

Discovery and characterization of new human tumor viruses

Research Categories

Research Interests

My group (working together with my wife, Yuan Chang) has focused on human tumor viruses since the early 1990’s when we identified Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8) and showed that this virus was causally associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, the most common AIDS related cancer in the United States and the most common malignancy in parts of Africa. We recently identified the seventh human tumor virus, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV), from a Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). We have focused on many aspects of cancer etiology as modeled through oncogenic tumor viruses. This work was recognized by the highest honors in cancer (General Motors Charles S. Mott Prize) and infectious disease (Robert Koch Prize) research. More recently, we have been awarded the Ehrlich and Passano Prizes and are members of the US National Academy of Sciences.  We are investigating novel bioinformatics approaches to discover cancer viruses using mass spectrometry, virus-encoded circular RNA biogenesis and function, mitotic regulation of cap-dependent translation and SCF E3 ligase regulation of polyomavirus replication.

The Cancer Virology Program (CVP) at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is rapidly gaining international prominence as a center for human tumor virus research. In a relatively short time, the Cancer Virology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has grown into a vibrant and exciting research environment. Our goal is to develop CVP into the leading center of its kind. I have also been an active advocate for cancer research, working closely with both local and national organizations including the American Cancer Society.

Representative Publications

Chang Y, Cesarman E, Pessin M, Lee F, Culpepper J, Knowles DM, Moore PS. Identification of herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Science, 1994; 266:1865-1869. PMCID7997879.

Cesarman E, Chang Y, Moore PS, Said J, Knowles DM. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-like DNA sequences are detectable in AIDS-related body cavity based non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. New Eng J Med 1995; 332:1186-91. PMCID7700311.

Gao SJ, Kingsley L, Hoover D, Spira T, Rinaldo C, Saah A, Phair J, Detels R, Parry P, Chang Y, Moore PS. Seroconversion to antibodies against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-related latent nuclear antigens before the development of Kaposi's sarcoma. New Eng J Med 1996; 335:233-41. PMCID8657239.

Chang Y, Moore PS, Talbot SJ, Boshoff C, Zarkowska T, Godden-Kent D, Paterson H, Weiss RA, Mittnacht S. Cyclin encoded by KS herpesvirus. Nature 1996; 382:410. PMCID8684480.

Moore PS, Boshoff C, Weiss RA, Chang Y. Molecular mimicry of human cytokine and cytokine-response pathway genes by KSHV. Science 1996; 274:1739-44. PMCID8939871.

Russo JJ, Bohenzky RA, Chien M, Chen K, Yan M, Maddlena D, Parry JP, Peruzzi D, Edelman IS, Chang Y, Moore PS. The nucleotide sequence of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (HHV8). Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 1996; 93:14862-7. PMCID8962146.

Feng H, Shuda M, Chang Y, Moore PS. Clonal Integration of a Polyomavirus in Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Science 2008; 319(5866):1096-100. PMCID18202256.

Shuda M, Feng H, Kwun H, Rosen ST, Gjoerup O, Moore PS, Chang Y. T-antigen mutations are a tumor-specific signature for Merkel cell polyomavirus. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 2008; 21;105(42):16272-7. PMCID: PMCID2551627.

Arora R, Shuda M, Guastafierro A, Feng H, Toptan T, Tolstov Y, Normolle D, Vollmer L, Vogt A, Domling A, Brodsky J, Chang Y, and Moore PS. Survivin is a Therapeutic Target in Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Science Trans Medicine 2012;4:133-56. PMC3726222.

Kwun HJ, Shuda M, Huichen F, Camacho CJ, Moore PS, Chang Y. Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small T Antigen Controls Viral Replication and Oncoprotein Expression by Targeting the Cellular Ubiquitin Ligase SCFFbw7. Cell Host Microbe 2013; 14(2):125-135. PMC3764649.

Shuda M, Velásquez C., Cheng E., Cordek DG, Kwun HJ, Chang Y, Moore PS.  CDK1 substitutes for mTOR kinase to activate mitotic cap-dependent protein translation.  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015 May 12;112(19):5875-82.

Velasquez C, Cheng E, Shuda M, Lee-Oesterreich PJ, Pogge von Strandmann L, Gritsenko MA, Jacobs JM, Moore PS, Chang Y. Mitotic protein kinase CDK1 phosphorylation of mRNA translation regulator 4E-BP1 Ser83 may contribute to cell transformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Jul 26;113(30):8466-71.

Toptan T., Abere B, Nalesnik MA, Swerdlow SH, Ranganathan S, Lee N, Shair KH, Moore PS, Chang Y. Circular DNA tumor viruses make circular RNAs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018, e8737-e8745.