Susana Valente

Professor Susana Valente serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at UF Scripps Biomedical Research (University of Florida), with concurrent appointments at The Scripps Research Institute and The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute. Her research program focuses on molecular mechanisms of HIV replication and latency, particularly host-virus interactions governing viral transcription.

Valente earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology-Virology from the University of Paris Diderot (2002), preceded by Master's degrees in Biotechnology (De Montfort University, 1998) and Biochemistry (University of Paris Diderot, 1997), following undergraduate studies at New University of Lisbon. Her postdoctoral training occurred at Columbia University.

Her research centers on host cellular factors regulating HIV transcription, with pioneering work on the "block-and-lock" HIV cure strategy using didehydro-cortistatin A (dCA). Key investigations include:

• Chromatin remodeling complexes in HIV latency
• Tat protein interactions with host transcription machinery
• Epigenetic control of viral reservoirs
• Development of small molecule inhibitors targeting transcriptional regulators
• Impact of comorbidities on HIV persistence

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals sustained focus on transcriptional control mechanisms, particularly host chromatin remodelers (p400 complex, p32) and transcription factors (PU.1, FUBP3). Her work demonstrates how epigenetic modifications maintain viral latency and how compounds like dCA induce deep latency, advancing the "block-and-lock" paradigm for functional HIV cure.

Valente's scientific recognition includes:

• NIAID MERIT Award (2022)
• Landenberger Foundation early-career awards (2009-2012)
• amfAR Fellowship (1998-2002)
• NIH-NIAID Career Transition Award (2007-2008)
• Portuguese Ministry of Education Fellowships

She currently leads 12 active grants totaling over $15M, including NIAID R01 awards for HIV transcription disruption (2025), brain organoid development for neuroHIV studies (2024), and HOPE Collaboratory leadership (2022). Her NIH funding history spans 20+ years, with recent expansion into SARS-CoV-2 research. Valente serves on editorial boards for Viruses and Retrovirology, and previously on NIH study sections (2014-2020).

The Valente Lab employs multidisciplinary approaches combining molecular virology, epigenetics, and cell biology to investigate HIV persistence mechanisms. Current projects include developing brain organoids to model HIV-associated cognitive impairment and testing novel Tat inhibitors in humanized mouse models, with extensive collaborations across the HIV cure research network.