He served in the Public Health Service from 1973 to 1981.[5] He was a senior staff fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Dr. Philip Leder working with Robert Weisberg from 1974 to 1977 studying bacteriophage lambda site-specific recombination and development of recombinant DNA technology. In 1977, he moved to the National Cancer Institute where he continued the development of recombinant DNA technology and also began his work on neurotropic herpes viruses, researching under Dr. George Vande Woude.[5] In 1981 he left the National Cancer Institute to become research director at Molecular Genetics Incorporated in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where he worked on recombinant DNA based viral vaccines. In 1984, he joined DuPont as a research leader, where he ran a laboratory studying neurotropic viruses. In 1990, he joined DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company, where he was a senior research fellow working on developing neurotropic viruses as tools for gene therapy and studying the mammalian nervous system. In 1993, he accepted the position of tenured full professor of molecular biology at Princeton University.[5] His research interests are in the field of neurovirology, specifically on the mechanisms of herpesvirus spread and pathogenesis in the mammalian nervous system. He teaches an undergraduate course in virology and won the President's award for teaching excellence in 2001.[6]
Research
Enquist's laboratory focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which neuroinvasive alpha-herpesviruses spread in the mammalian nervous system.[5] His work employs imaging technology, cell biology, and viral genetics to reveal how virion components move inside and between neurons. Experiments are divided between two general areas to visualize how infection spreads from one neuron to another in vitro (dissociated neurons) and in vivo (living animals and tissues). His students have developed compartmented neuronal cultures to establish separate fluid environments for neuronal axons and the soma from which they emanate. These compartmented neuronal cultures are used for in vitro study of directional infection of neurons by alpha herpesviruses. Students also have constructed a variety of herpesvirus mutants that define mechanisms of neuronal spread and provide useful tools for tracing neuronal circuitry in living animals and uncovering mechanisms of alpha-herpesvirus pathogenesis. Enquist has published 324 publications indexed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database,[7] and is an inventor on at least four U.S. patents.[2][8]
He continues to hold leadership and advisory roles in the American Society for Microbiology, including current service on the Council of Past Presidents and the Academy Governors.[19][20]