Susana Valente, Ph.D.
Professor And Chair, Department Of Immunology And Microbiology
About Susana Valente
Related Links:
Additional Positions:
Professor
2022 – Current
·
The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute
Professor
2022 – Current
·
The Scripps Research Institute
Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology and Microbiology
2022 – Current
·
UF Scripps Biomedical Research
Associate Professor, Immunology and Microbiology
2017 – 2022
·
Scripps Research
Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases
2012 – 2015
·
Scripps Research
Assistant Professor, Immunology and Microbial Science (IMS)
2009 – 2017
·
Scripps Research
Assistant Professor, Infectology
2009 – 2012
·
Scripps Research
Research Fellow
2009 – 2009
·
Columbia University
Accomplishments
NIAID MERIT Award.
2022
·
Host factors regulating HIV latency and reactivation.
Co-leader of HOPE (HIV Obstruction by Programmed Epigenetics) – Martin Delaney Collaboratory for HIV Cure (UM1)
2021-current
·
NIH
Founder
2019-Current
·
Thimble Therapeutics
Editorial Board
2018-Current
·
Viruses
Editorial Board
2018-Current
·
Retrovirology
Permanent member NIH- ADDT and HVCD study sections
2014-2020
·
NIH-NIAID
Early Career Reviewer (ECR) program
2012-2013
·
NIH-NIAID
Landenberger Foundation Award for early career investigators
2010-2012
·
Landenberger Foundation
Research Scholar Development Award (K22)
2009-2011
·
NIAID
Awarded
2008
·
NIAID Career Transition Award (K22)
Awarded
2007-2008
·
Portuguese Ministry of Education Fellowship
Awarded
2005-2007
·
American Foundation AIDS Research (amfAR) Fellowship
Awarded
1998-2002
·
Portuguese Ministry of Education Scholarship
Research Profile
According to the latest statistics published by the UNAIDS/WHO in 2021, 38.4 million people were living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and 40.1 million have died as a result of HIV. Although antiretroviral drugs have had a dramatically beneficial impact on HIV-infected individuals who have access to treatment, they have had a negligible impact on the global epidemic. Therapies for retroviral infections now used in clinical practice have limitations in that they often only shorten the duration of disease symptoms but fail to completely eradicate the virus with viral replication and disease recurring after discontinuation of the drug therapy. Additionally, the emergence of HIV variants with drug-resistance is an ongoing clinical problem. Clearly having a larger repertoire of therapeutic agents would be beneficial for combating the HIV epidemic.
Retroviruses, due to their limited genome size and content, require the assistance of multiple host cellular proteins at each step in their elaborate replication cycle. Host cells, in response, have evolved many mechanisms for inhibiting viral replication. We have taken a general approach to identify the molecular interactions occurring within a cell that are critical for viral replication, or genes that have evolved in mammalian cells to regulate viral replication. The discovery of cellular factors involved in retroviral replication and our increased knowledge of their mode of action may leverage novel antiviral approaches in clinical settings as one could block the modified use without affecting cell viability.
Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)
0000-0002-7854-7554
Publications
Academic Articles
2024
Silencing the transcriptionally active HIV reservoir to improve treatment outcomes.
Nature microbiology.
9(10):2470-2472
[DOI] 10.1038/s41564-024-01816-5.
[PMID] 39289508.
2024
Transcriptional and methylation outcomes of didehydro-cortistatin A use in HIV-1-infected CD4+ T cells.
Life science alliance.
7(10)
[DOI] 10.26508/lsa.202402653.
[PMID] 39089880.
2024
Transcriptional regulation of the HIV-1 inhibitory factor human mannose receptor 1 by the myeloid-specific transcription factor PU.1.
Journal of virology.
98(1)
[DOI] 10.1128/jvi.01702-23.
[PMID] 38078733.
2023
HIV-1 transcriptional modulation: novel host factors and prospective therapeutic strategies.
Current opinion in HIV and AIDS.
18(5):264-272
[DOI] 10.1097/COH.0000000000000808.
[PMID] 37535041.
2023
Loss of In Vivo Replication Fitness of HIV-1 Variants Resistant to the Tat Inhibitor, dCA.
Viruses.
15(4)
[DOI] 10.3390/v15040950.
[PMID] 37112931.
2023
The chaperone protein p32 stabilizes HIV-1 Tat and strengthens the p-TEFb/RNAPII/TAR complex promoting HIV transcription elongation.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
120(1)
[DOI] 10.1073/pnas.2217476120.
[PMID] 36584296.
2023
The role of high cholesterol in SARS-CoV-2 infectivity.
The Journal of biological chemistry.
299(6)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104763.
[PMID] 37119851.
2022
Author Correction: Hydroxychloroquine blocks SARS-CoV-2 entry into the endocytic pathway in mammalian cell culture.
Communications biology.
5(1)
[DOI] 10.1038/s42003-022-04172-4.
[PMID] 36323858.
2022
Bictegravir nanomicelles and anionic pullulan loaded vaginal film: Dual mechanistic pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.
International journal of biological macromolecules.
221:416-425
[DOI] 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.211.
[PMID] 36075305.
2022
Cure and Long-Term Remission Strategies.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.).
2407:391-428
[DOI] 10.1007/978-1-0716-1871-4_26.
[PMID] 34985678.
2022
Forging a Functional Cure for HIV: Transcription Regulators and Inhibitors.
Viruses.
14(9)
[DOI] 10.3390/v14091980.
[PMID] 36146786.
2022
Hydroxychloroquine blocks SARS-CoV-2 entry into the endocytic pathway in mammalian cell culture.
Communications biology.
5(1)
[DOI] 10.1038/s42003-022-03841-8.
[PMID] 36104427.
2022
Identification of potent small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry.
SLAS discovery : advancing life sciences R & D.
27(1):8-19
[DOI] 10.1016/j.slasd.2021.10.012.
[PMID] 35058179.
2021
Molecular motor protein KIF5C mediates structural plasticity and long-term memory by constraining local translation.
Cell reports.
36(2)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109369.
[PMID] 34260917.
2021
Next-Generation Human Cerebral Organoids as Powerful Tools To Advance NeuroHIV Research.
mBio.
12(4)
[DOI] 10.1128/mBio.00680-21.
[PMID] 34253056.
2021
Research priorities for an HIV cure: International AIDS Society Global Scientific Strategy 2021
Nature Medicine.
27(12):2085-2098
[DOI] 10.1038/s41591-021-01590-5.
2021
The Block-and-Lock Strategy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cure: Lessons Learned from Didehydro-Cortistatin A.
The Journal of infectious diseases.
223(12 Suppl 2):46-53
[DOI] 10.1093/infdis/jiaa681.
[PMID] 33586776.
2021
The role of high cholesterol in age-related COVID19 lethality.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.
[DOI] 10.1101/2020.05.09.086249.
[PMID] 32511366.
2021
The XPB Subunit of the TFIIH Complex Plays a Critical Role in HIV-1 Transcription and XPB Inhibition by Spironolactone Prevents HIV-1 Reactivation from Latency.
Journal of virology.
95(4)
[DOI] 10.1128/JVI.01247-20.
[PMID] 33239456.
2020
Block-And-Lock: New Horizons for a Cure for HIV-1.
Viruses.
12(12)
[DOI] 10.3390/v12121443.
[PMID] 33334019.
2020
Efavirenz nanomicelles loaded vaginal film (EZ film) for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV.
Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces.
194
[DOI] 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.111174.
[PMID] 32540766.
2020
Key Players in HIV-1 Transcriptional Regulation: Targets for a Functional Cure.
Viruses.
12(5)
[DOI] 10.3390/v12050529.
[PMID] 32403278.
2020
β-cyclodextrin polymer/Soluplus® encapsulated Ebselen ternary complex (EβpolySol) as a potential therapy for vaginal candidiasis and pre-exposure prophylactic for HIV.
International journal of pharmaceutics.
589
[DOI] 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119863.
[PMID] 32911046.
2019
Didehydro-Cortistatin A Inhibits HIV-1 by Specifically Binding to the Unstructured Basic Region of Tat.
mBio.
10(1)
[DOI] 10.1128/mBio.02662-18.
[PMID] 30723126.
2019
Modeling HIV-1 Latency Using Primary CD4+ T Cells from Virally Suppressed HIV-1-Infected Individuals on Antiretroviral Therapy.
Journal of virology.
93(11)
[DOI] 10.1128/JVI.02248-18.
[PMID] 30918072.
2019
Resistance to the Tat Inhibitor Didehydro-Cortistatin A Is Mediated by Heightened Basal HIV-1 Transcription.
mBio.
10(4)
[DOI] 10.1128/mBio.01750-18.
[PMID] 31266880.
2019
Tat inhibition by didehydro-Cortistatin A promotes heterochromatin formation at the HIV-1 long terminal repeat.
Epigenetics & chromatin.
12(1)
[DOI] 10.1186/s13072-019-0267-8.
[PMID] 30992052.
2019
The Tat inhibitor didehydro-cortistatin A suppresses SIV replication and reactivation.
FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
33(7):8280-8293
[DOI] 10.1096/fj.201801165R.
[PMID] 31021670.
2017
In Vivo Suppression of HIV Rebound by Didehydro-Cortistatin A, a “Block-and-Lock” Strategy for HIV-1 Treatment.
Cell reports.
21(3):600-611
[DOI] 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.09.080.
[PMID] 29045830.
2017
Optimizing In Vitro Pre-mRNA 3′ Cleavage Efficiency: Reconstitution from Anion-Exchange Separated HeLa Cleavage Factors and from Adherent HeLa Cell Nuclear Extract.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.).
1507:179-198
[PMID] 27832541.
2017
Role of Host Factors on the Regulation of Tat-Mediated HIV-1 Transcription.
Current pharmaceutical design.
23(28):4079-4090
[DOI] 10.2174/1381612823666170622104355.
[PMID] 28641539.
2016
Cell-Permeable Peptides Containing Cycloalanine Residues.
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English).
55(41):12637-42
[DOI] 10.1002/anie.201605745.
[PMID] 27529332.
2016
Didehydro-Cortistatin A: a new player in HIV-therapy?
Expert review of anti-infective therapy.
14(2):145-8
[DOI] 10.1586/14787210.2016.1122525.
[PMID] 26581953.
2016
Ebselen, a Small-Molecule Capsid Inhibitor of HIV-1 Replication.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy.
60(4):2195-208
[DOI] 10.1128/AAC.02574-15.
[PMID] 26810656.
2016
HIV-1 Capsid Inhibitors as Antiretroviral Agents.
Current HIV research.
14(3):270-82
[PMID] 26957201.
2016
International AIDS Society global scientific strategy: towards an HIV cure 2016.
Nature medicine.
22(8):839-50
[DOI] 10.1038/nm.4108.
[PMID] 27400264.
2015
Didehydro-cortistatin A inhibits HIV-1 Tat mediated neuroinflammation and prevents potentiation of cocaine reward in Tat transgenic mice.
Current HIV research.
13(1):64-79
[PMID] 25613133.
2015
Targeting HIV transcription: the quest for a functional cure.
Current topics in microbiology and immunology.
389:121-45
[DOI] 10.1007/82_2015_435.
[PMID] 25731772.
2015
The cross-talk of HIV-1 Tat and methamphetamine in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
Frontiers in microbiology.
6
[DOI] 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01164.
[PMID] 26557111.
2015
The Tat Inhibitor Didehydro-Cortistatin A Prevents HIV-1 Reactivation from Latency.
mBio.
6(4)
[DOI] 10.1128/mBio.00465-15.
[PMID] 26152583.
2014
Analysis of RNA processing reactions using cell free systems: 3′ end cleavage of pre-mRNA substrates in vitro.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.
(87)
[DOI] 10.3791/51309.
[PMID] 24835792.
2012
An analog of the natural steroidal alkaloid cortistatin A potently suppresses Tat-dependent HIV transcription.
Cell host & microbe.
12(1):97-108
[DOI] 10.1016/j.chom.2012.05.016.
[PMID] 22817991.
2012
Strategies to Block HIV Transcription: Focus on Small Molecule Tat Inhibitors.
Biology.
1(3):668-97
[DOI] 10.3390/biology1030668.
[PMID] 24832514.
2009
HIV-1 mRNA 3′ end processing is distinctively regulated by eIF3f, CDK11, and splice factor 9G8.
Molecular cell.
36(2):279-89
[DOI] 10.1016/j.molcel.2009.10.004.
[PMID] 19854136.
2009
Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by eIF3f.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
106(11):4071-8
[DOI] 10.1073/pnas.0900557106.
[PMID] 19237569.
2009
Somatic cell genetic analyses to identify HIV-1 host restriction factors.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.).
485:235-55
[DOI] 10.1007/978-1-59745-170-3_17.
[PMID] 19020830.
2007
Moesin regulates stable microtubule formation and limits retroviral infection in cultured cells.
The EMBO journal.
26(1):41-52
[PMID] 17170707.
2006
Inhibition of HIV-1 gene expression by a fragment of hnRNP U.
Molecular cell.
23(4):597-605
[PMID] 16916646.
2002
Human adipose cells express CD4, CXCR4, and CCR5 [corrected] receptors: a new target cell type for the immunodeficiency virus-1?
FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
16(10):1254-6
[PMID] 12153994.
2001
CXCR4 is down-regulated in cells infected with the CD4-independent X4 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolate m7NDK.
Journal of virology.
75(1):439-47
[PMID] 11119612.
1999
Mutations in the env gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 NDK isolates and the use of African green monkey CXCR4 as a co-receptor in COS-7 cells.
The Journal of general virology.
80 ( Pt 8):1975-1982
[DOI] 10.1099/0022-1317-80-8-1975.
[PMID] 10466793.
Grants
Jul 2024
ACTIVE
Delving into a Unique Transcription Factor Family to Regulate HIV Transcription
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Mar 2023
ACTIVE
Exploration of novel block-and-lock agents alone and in combination for HIV remission in humanized mice
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Sep 2022
ACTIVE
Transcriptional Crosstalk between DUX4-FL and HIV
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Jul 2022
– Jun 2023
Transcriptional crosstalk between DUX4-FL and HIV
Role: Other
Funding: UNIV OF MIAMI
via FL DEPT OF HLTH
May 2022
ACTIVE
Midwest AViDD Center – CORE C
Role: Faculty
Funding: UNIV OF MINNESOTA
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
May 2022
– Apr 2023
Development and characterization of HIV-1 Tat degraders
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: THIMBLE THERAPEUTICS
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
ACTIVE
Evaluation of didehydro-Cortistatin A as a block-and-lock agent for a functional HIV cure in a macaque model
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
ACTIVE
Host factors regulating HIV latency and reactivation
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
ACTIVE
HOPE – HIV Obstruction by Programmed Epigenetics
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: J DAVID GLADSTONE INSTITUTES
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
ACTIVE
Mode of action of a new Tat HIV-1 inhibitor
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
ACTIVE
Development of Brain Organoids to Study the Impact of HIV-1, Drugs of Abuse and Aging on Cognitive Impairment
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: WEILL MED COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIV
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Apr 2022
– Jul 2024
Identification and characterization of chromatin regulators of HIV-1 latency
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
– Jul 2024
Validation and characterization of Tat inhibitors identified through HTS
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2022
– Oct 2023
Dual payload ADCs designed for mitigating cancer resistance (Hwang)
Role: Other
Funding: AMER ASSO FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Education
Postodoctoral fellow
2009
·
Columbia University, NYC
Ph.D. Microbiology-Virology
2002
·
University of Paris Diderot (Paris VII)
Master's of Science in Biotechnology
1998
·
De Montfort University
Master's of Science in Maîtrise Biochemistry
1997
·
University of Paris Diderot (Paris VII)
Bachelor's of Science in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology
1996
·
New University of Lisbon
Contact Details
Phones:
- Business:
- (561) 228-3454
Emails:
- Business:
- svalente@ufl.edu
Administrative Spec III:
Addresses:
- Business Mailing:
-
Location C329
130 SCRIPPS WAY BLDG 3C1
Jupiter FL 33458