Susana Valente

Susana Valente is Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Florida's UF Scripps Biomedical Research institute, with joint appointments at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute and The Scripps Research Institute. Her research focuses on HIV molecular virology and therapeutic strategies for viral eradication.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Microbiology-Virology from the University of Paris Diderot (2002), Master's degrees in Biotechnology from De Montfort University and Biochemistry from University of Paris Diderot, and a Bachelor's in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology from New University of Lisbon.

Dr. Valente's work centers on host-virus interactions in HIV replication and latency, pioneering the 'block-and-lock' cure strategy using compounds like didehydro-cortistatin A (dCA) to suppress viral reactivation. Her lab identifies critical host factors (e.g., p32 chaperone, p400 chromatin remodeler) that regulate HIV transcription, aiming to develop therapies targeting cellular mechanisms without compromising cell viability. This approach addresses drug resistance and aims for functional HIV cure.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in HIV transcriptional control (73%), chromatin remodeling (40%), and latency-reversal therapeutics (60%), with significant cross-over into SARS-CoV-2 research (20%) during the pandemic. The work spans virology, molecular biology, and pharmacology with strong translational emphasis.

Major scientific awards include:

• NIAID MERIT Award (2022)
• Landenberger Foundation Award for early career investigators (2010-2012)
• NIAID Career Transition Award (K22) (2007-2008)
• amfAR Fellowship (1998-2002)

She actively mentors researchers in the Valente Lab and leads substantial grant funding including the HOPE Martin Delaney Collaboratory for HIV Cure (UM1), multiple NIH R01 awards on HIV transcriptional control, and projects developing Tat degraders and brain organoid models for neuroHIV research. Current grants focus on therapeutic disruption of HIV transcription, block-and-lock agents, and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

The Valente Lab at UF Scripps' Jupiter campus operates as a multidisciplinary research hub investigating host-pathogen interactions, with active collaborations across virology, immunology, and nanotechnology fields to develop novel HIV prevention and cure strategies.