Jesse D. Bloom

Bloom obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Chicago, an M.Phil. in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph.D in Chemistry from Caltech advised by Frances Arnold.[1] Following his Ph.D., he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of David Baltimore.[5] He became a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in 2011 and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2018.[6][7]

Bloom’s research focuses on the molecular evolution of viruses and viral proteins, particularly of rapidly-evolving RNA viruses like influenza, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2.[1][8][9][10] His lab uses a combination of computational and experimental techniques to understand how changes in viral proteins result in immune escape, drug resistance, and shifts in host specificity.[2] His group performed the first experimental study showing that human coronaviruses evolve to escape from human antibodies.[11]

Bloom has helped lead the development of deep mutational scanning techniques for measuring the effects of large numbers of mutations in viral proteins in parallel.[8][10][12] Notably, his laboratory provided one of the earliest maps of the effects of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain on folding and ACE2 affinity.[10] Using the same technique, Bloom’s research group prospectively identified mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that erode the immunity provided by both therapeutic antibodies and naturally elicited immune responses.[13][14] His group has integrated these measurements into an antibody-escape calculator that is used to help track SARS-CoV-2 evolution.[15] They also showed that the ability to bind human ACE2 is widespread and highly evolvable among natural SARS-related coronaviruses, highlighting the zoonotic potential of this family of viruses.[16]

Bloom's scientific work has been published in top scientific journals including Science, Nature, and Cell.[13][17][10][16]

In addition to his scientific publications, Bloom has authored several columns with Sarah Cobey in the New York Times about SARS-CoV-2 evolution.[18][19]

Bloom has also argued that it is important for virologists to ensure that virology research is performed responsibly and does not create biosafety risks. He outlined his views in a column he published on the topic in the New York Times.[20] Bloom is also co-director of an initiative sponsored by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists entitled "Pathogens Project" that aims to ensure that research on high-risk pathogens appropriately balances risks and benefits.[21]

In 2021, Bloom was a co-author of a letter calling for further investigation of COVID-19 origins published in Science.[22] Bloom's research on the origin of COVID-19 "raised the possibility that the Chinese government might be trying to hide evidence about the pandemic’s early spread" and was the subject of a meeting with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).[23][24]

• 2019 McDougall Mentoring Award[25]
• 2018 HHMI Investigator[26]
• 2017 Merck Irving S. Sigal Award from the American Society for Microbiology [27]
• 2016 Ann Palmenberg Junior Investigator Award from the American Society for Virology[28]
• 2016 HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar[29]
• 2015 Young Investigator in Virology Award[30]
• 2015 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences[31]
• 2012 Searle Scholar Award[32]

• Google Scholar page
• Lab Website