Steven B. Bradfute, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the UNM Center for Global Health and Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Bradfute received his Ph.D. in Immunology from Baylor College of Medicine (2005) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), where he studied immune responses to hemorrhagic fever viruses, including the filoviruses (ebolaviruses, marburgviruses, and cuevaviruses). While continuing to study filoviruses, Dr. Bradfute has expanded his work to include other emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens, such as hantaviruses, equine encephalitis viruses, Zika virus, and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. As there are few treatments or vaccines available for many of these viruses, the Bradfute lab studies immunology, therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccine development for these important pathogens.
My work has focused on how emerging viral pathogens bypass immune responses, and development of vaccines for these pathogens. Currently, we are working on improving existing Ebola and Marburg virus vaccines by modifying the viral glycoproteins to induce more effective immune responses. Other projects in the lab include development and testing of vaccines against Zika viruses, and and determination of the mechanisms of immunity of efficacious viral vaccines. More recent studies focus on therapeutics and immunity against hantaviruses, host responses to equine encephalitis virus infection, and therapeutic discovery for the novel coronavirus.
*Co-chair, Infectious Diseases block for Medical Students
*Tutorial leader for Infectious Disease block for Medical Students
*Lecturer (Host-Pathogen Interactions) for Infectious Disease block for Medical Students
*Tutorial leader for Clinical Reasoning I block for Medical Students