Christopher C. Broder

Ph.D.

Department of Primary Appointment:
School of Medicine
Microbiology and Immunology
Title
Professor and Chair
Location: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Virology; emerging viruses, virus-host cell interactions, vaccines and therapeutics, viral serological surveillance
Basic Biology of Viral and Bacterial Diseases
Office Phone

Education

1983 B.S., Biological Sciences, with honors. Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
1985 M.S., Molecular Biology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
1989 Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology. College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Biography

Christopher C. Broder received his B.S. (1983) and M.S. (1985) degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida, Gainesville (1989) establishing a molecular-pathogenic model for the flesh-eating Group A streptococci. He began his postdoctoral studies in 1989 as a National Research Council Research Associate in the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, focusing on HIV-1 host cell entry and infection. He joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Uniformed Services University (USU) as Assistant Professor in 1996 and was promoted to full Professor in 2005. His laboratory has focused on virus-host cell interactions, virus receptor discovery, virus entry and virus-mediated membrane fusion, vaccines and antibody therapeutics development, and enveloped RNA virus surveillance. Research areas have included HIV-1 and highly pathogenic and lethal emerging zoonotic viruses including Nipah virus and Hendra virus; Ebola and Marburg viruses, and bat lyssaviruses (rabies-like viruses). Major collaborative research contributions include the discoveries of the CXCR4 and the CCR5 HIV-1 coreceptors (1996-Breakthrough of the Year, Science and the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize 1997); the development of the first oligomeric, HIV-1 soluble gp140 glycoprotein vaccine candidate; discovery of the host cell entry receptor proteins (ephrin ligands) used by Nipah virus and Hendra virus; development of the Hendra/Nipah soluble-G glycoprotein subunit vaccine; one formulation known as Equivac® HeV (Zoetis, Inc.) in 2012, the first commercialized vaccine against a BSL-4 agent. Clinical development of the soluble G glycoprotein subunit vaccine for Nipah virus licensed and now progressing by Auro Vaccines, LLC, Aurobindo Pharma USA, and partners, supported by CEPI (The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations). Therapeutic antiviral human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have also been developed, including the anti-Hendra/Nipah human mAb m102.4 which to date has been used by emergency protocol in 17 people in Australia and 1 in the U.S. because of significant risk of Hendra virus or Nipah virus infection. The m102.4 mAb successfully completed a Phase I clinical trial in Australia in 2020. Honors include the 2013 and 2019 Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer and the 2020 FLC Impact Award; the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal for 2013, (Australia's national science agency); the 2014 Cinda Helke Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Advocacy; the 2008 Henry Wu Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research; the 2016 James J. Leonard Award for Excellence in Translational/Clinical Research; The University of Florida, College of Medicine, Wall of Fame 2019; the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2020 Outstanding Individual Research Accomplishment Award; the MHSRS 2021 Outstanding Research Accomplishment Team Award; and the Carol Johns Medal 2022 (highest USU faculty honor). He has mentored 13 graduate students and 12 postdoctoral scientists; coauthored more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters cited more 25,500 times; serves on the editorial boards of five journals, and is an inventor on 22 issued US and foreign patents. He served as Director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Program at USU from 2006-2018, and is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, USU.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

Laing ED, Mendenhall IH, Linster M, Low DHW, Chen Y, Yan L, Sterling SL, Borthwick S, Neves ES, Lim JSL, Skiles M, Lee BPY, Wang LF, Broder CC, Smith GJD. Serologic Evidence of Fruit Bat Exposure to Filoviruses, Singapore, 2011-2016. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018 Jan; 24(1):114-117. doi: 10.3201/eid2401.170401.

Li, Y, Wang, J, Hickey, AC, Zhang, Y, Li, Y, Wu, Y., Zhang, H, Yuan, J, Han, Z, McEachern, J, Broder, CC, Wang, LF, Shi, Z. Antibodies to Nipah or Nipah-like viruses in bats, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 14(12):1974-6 2008.

Chowdhury S, Khan SU, Crameri G, Epstein JH, Broder CC, Islam A, Peel AJ, Barr J, Daszak P, Wang LF, Luby SP. Serological evidence of henipavirus exposure in cattle, goats and pigs in Bangladesh. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014 Nov 20;8(11):e3302. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003302. 2014 Nov.

Xu K, Rockx B, Xie Y, DeBuysscher BL, Fusco DL, Zhu Z, Chan YP, Feldmann H, Dimitrov DS, Broder CC, and Nikolov DB. Crystal structure of the Hendra virus attachment G glycoprotein complexed with a potent cross-reactive neutralizing human monoclonal antibody. Plos Pathogens, 2013 Oct;9(10):e1003684.

Xu K, Chan YP, Bradel-Tretheway B, Akyol-Ataman Z, Zhu Y, Dutta S, Yan L, Feng YR, Wang LF, Skiniotis G, Lee B, Zhou ZH, Broder CC*, Aguilar HC* and Nikolov DB*. Crystal structure of the pre-fusion Nipah virus fusion glycoprotein reveals a novel hexamer-of-trimers assembly. PLoS Pathog. 2015 Dec 8;11(12):e1005322. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005322

Dang HV, Cross RW, Borisevich V, Bornholdt ZA, West BR, Chan YP, Mire CE, Da Silva SC, Dimitrov AS, Yan L, Amaya M, Navaratnarajah CK, Zeitlin L, Geisbert TW, Broder CC, Veesler D. Broadly neutralizing antibody cocktails targeting Nipah virus and Hendra virus fusion glycoproteins. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2021 May;28(5):426-434. doi: 10.1038/s41594-021-00584-8

Wang Z, Amaya M, Addetia A, Dang HV, Reggiano G, Yan L, Hickey AC, DiMaio F, Broder CC, Veesler D. Architecture and antigenicity of the Nipah virus attachment glycoprotein. Science. 2022 Mar 25;375(6587):1373-1378. DOI: 10.1126/science.abm5561

Wang Z, Dang HV, Amaya M, Xu Y, Yin R, Yan L, Hickey AC, Annand EJ, Horsburgh BA, Reid PA, Smith I, Eden JS, Xu K, Broder CC, Veesler D. Potent monoclonal antibody-mediated neutralization of a divergent Hendra virus variant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 May 31;119(22):e2122769119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2122769119.

Laing, ED, Navaratnarajah, CK, Cheliout Da Silva, S, Petzing, SR, Xu, Y, Sterling, SL, Marsh, GA, Wang, LF, Amaya, M, Nikolov, DB, Cattaneo R, Broder, CC*, and Xu, K. Structural and Functional Analyses Reveal Promiscuous and Species-Specific Use of Ephrin Receptors by Cedar Virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Oct 8;116(41):20707-20715.

Amaya M, Cheng H, Borisevich V, Navaratnarajah CK, Cattaneo R, Cooper L, Moore TW, Gaisina IN, Geisbert TW, Rong L, Broder CC. A recombinant Cedar virus based high-throughput screening assay for henipavirus antiviral discovery. Antiviral Res. 2021 May 30:105084.

Representative Bibliography

Broder, CC, PL Earl, D Long, B Moss, and RW Doms. Antigenic Implications of HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Quaternary Structure: Oligomer-Specific and -Sensitive mAbs. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 91:11699-11703, 1994.

Broder, CC and EA Berger. Fusogenic Selectivity of the Envelope Glycoprotein is a Major Determinant of HIV-1 Tropism for CD4+ T-Cell Lines vs. Macrophages. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 92:9004-08, 1995.

Feng, Y, CC Broder, PE Kennedy, and EA Berger. HIV-1 Entry Cofactor: Functional cDNA Cloning of a Seven-Transmembrane, G Protein-Coupled Receptor. Science. 272:872-877, 1996.

Bonaparte, MI, AS Dimitrov, KN Bossart, G Crameri, BA Mungall, KA Bishop, V Choudhry, DS Dimitrov, LF Wang, BT Eaton, and CC Broder*. Ephrin-B2 Ligand is a Functional Receptor for Hendra Virus and Nipah Virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 102(30):10652-7. 2005. (from the cover)

Bossart, KN, Zhu Z, Middleton, D, Klippel, J, Crameri, G, Bingham, J, McEachern, JA, Green, D, Hancock, TJ, Chan, YP, Hickey, AC, Dimitrov, DS, Wang, LF, Broder, CC. A neutralizing human monoclonal antibody protects against lethal disease in a new ferret model of acute Nipah virus infection. Plos Pathogens. 2009 Oct;5(10):e1000642.

Bossart KN, Rockx B, Feldmann F, Brining D, Scott D, Lacasse R, Geisbert JB, Feng YR, Chan YP, Hickey AC, Broder CC*, Feldmann H, Geisbert TW. A Hendra virus G glycoprotein subunit vaccine protects African green monkeys from Nipah virus challenge. Sci Transl Med. 4(146):146ra107. 2012

Middleton D, Pallister J, Klein R, Feng YR, Haining J, Arkinstall R, Frazer L, Huang JA, Edwards N, Wareing M, Elhay M, Hashmi Z, Bingham J, Yamada M, Johnson D, White J, Foord A, Heine HG, Marsh GA, Broder CC, Wang LF. Hendra virus vaccine, a one health approach to protecting horse, human, and environmental health. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Mar;20(3).

Geisbert TW, Mire CE, Geisbert JB, Chan YP, Agans KN, Feldmann F, Fenton KA, Zhu Z, Dimitrov DS, Scott DP, Bossart KN, Feldmann H, Broder CC*. Therapeutic treatment of Nipah virus infection in nonhuman primates with a neutralizing human monoclonal antibody. Sci Transl Med. 2014, 6(242):242ra82.

Geisbert TW, Bobb K, Borisevich V, Geisbert JB, Agans KN, Cross RW, Prasad AN, Fenton KA, Yu H, Fouts TR, Broder CC, Dimitrov AS. A single dose investigational subunit vaccine for human use against Nipah virus and Hendra virus. NPJ Vaccines. 2021 Feb 8;6(1):23.DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00284-w

Playford EG, Munro T, Mahler SM, Elliott S, Gerometta M, Hoger KL, Jones ML, Griffin P, Lynch KD, Carroll H, El Saadi D, Gilmour ME, Hughes B, Hughes K, Huang E, de Bakker C, Klein R, Scher MG, Smith IL, Wang LF, Lambert SB, Dimitrov DS, Gray PP, Broder CC. Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of a human monoclonal antibody targeting the G glycoprotein of henipaviruses in healthy adults: a first-in-human, randomised, controlled, phase 1 study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020, S1473-3099