Name: Curtis Brandt
Hometown: Spokane, Washington
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Research Overview
Research in the Brandt Laboratory focuses on four areas.
- Injection of viral gene delivery vectors into the eye triggers an inflammatory response. The Brandt Lab is trying to identify the trigger so we can block it.
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes blinding keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) and his lab are interested in identifying genes in the virus that contribute to severe infection.
- They have an active program of antiviral drug discovery and development and have worked with several companies. They have also identified novel antivirals. One was isolated from an edible mushroom that grows in Wisconsin.
- One of their antiviral peptides binds to sialic acid residues on HSV-1 envelope proteins that form the fusion/entry complex. Enzymatic removal of sialic from virus particles renders them non-infectious. They now know that this is because the formation of the fusion complex is triggered by desialylation. Thus sialic acid regulates fusion complex formation. They are working to identify how this occurs.
What inspired you to select your field of study?
In elementary school I read a book called Microbe Hunters that had biographical chapters on early pioneers in microbiology and I was hooked. In Junior High I read a book called The Genetic Code by Isaac Assimov that described early efforts in molecular biology and that settled it. Most of the early work was done with bacteria and bacterial viruses.
What is one piece of advice you would give to students?
Remember that throughout your career, whatever you choose to do, you will need to keep reinventing yourself.
When you’re not in the lab, how do you spend your time?
Outdoor activities and photography but the most fun is as a musician. I have played drums since I was 8 and have been a member of a band called The Herpetic Legion for several years. It is a group of herpes virologists that play every year at the International Herpes Virus Workshop. We also played in Madison last summer at the American Society for Virology meeting. The group has played in Ghent Belgium, Vancouver BC, several places in the US and the set list has current pop, rock, country pop, blues etc., a pretty eclectic play list.
If you didn’t become a scientist, what career would you have pursued?
Photographer for National Geographic Magazine
You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
Don’t even go there.
Have you ever completed anything on your “bucket list”? If so, what was it?
Playing in the band:
What is the last TV show that you binge-watched?
Game of Thrones
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
None, I would be way too dangerous!
If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future?
The past to when they were writing the US constitution to let them know how bad we would eventually mess things up and to be more careful writing the document.