Jesse Erasmus
@jesseerasmus.bsky.social
Director of Virology at HDT Bio. Developing RNA platform for emerging infectious diseases. 🇿🇦🇰🇷
Pinned
Jesse Erasmus
@jesseerasmus.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Couldn’t find a virology starter pack so here’s one to get the ball rolling. Repost/reply if you are a virologist so I can find and add you to the list!
go.bsky.app/SinqoJU
go.bsky.app/SinqoJU
In my new Nucleic Acid Insights interview, I discuss the evolving science of RNA therapeutics. Addresses safety, manufacturing, and delivery, and how HDT Bio’s LION platform moves beyond LNPs to enable potent, localized, extrahepatic RNA delivery.
www.insights.bio/nucleic-acid...
www.insights.bio/nucleic-acid...
www.insights.bio
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
In my new Nucleic Acid Insights interview, I discuss the evolving science of RNA therapeutics. Addresses safety, manufacturing, and delivery, and how HDT Bio’s LION platform moves beyond LNPs to enable potent, localized, extrahepatic RNA delivery.
www.insights.bio/nucleic-acid...
www.insights.bio/nucleic-acid...
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Excited to announce our new ARPA-H award to “Close the DOORs” mapping how viruses exploit human cells and learning how to shut them. Grateful to @arpa-h.bsky.social and our amazing team!
🔗 www.mountsinai.org/about/newsro...
#ARPAH #Virology #HostPathogen #Innovation #Science
🔗 www.mountsinai.org/about/newsro...
#ARPAH #Virology #HostPathogen #Innovation #Science
Mount Sinai Awarded Up to $11.8 Million From ARPA-H to Close the Doors in Human Cells That Viruses Exploit to Infect, Replicate, and Spread
www.mountsinai.org
October 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Excited to announce our new ARPA-H award to “Close the DOORs” mapping how viruses exploit human cells and learning how to shut them. Grateful to @arpa-h.bsky.social and our amazing team!
🔗 www.mountsinai.org/about/newsro...
#ARPAH #Virology #HostPathogen #Innovation #Science
🔗 www.mountsinai.org/about/newsro...
#ARPAH #Virology #HostPathogen #Innovation #Science
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
New #NatureComms paper: Muscle-specific gene editing therapy via mammalian fusogen-directed virus-like particles. #Myoblue tinyurl.com/35wcweap
Muscle-specific gene editing therapy via mammalian fusogen-directed virus-like particles - Nature Communications
Genetic muscle diseases are difficult to treat due to challenges in delivering gene editors to muscles throughout the body. Here, authors engineer muscle-specific virus-like particles that fuse with s...
tinyurl.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
New #NatureComms paper: Muscle-specific gene editing therapy via mammalian fusogen-directed virus-like particles. #Myoblue tinyurl.com/35wcweap
Follow up publication describing immunogenicity and efficacy in NHPs of historical and contemporary H5N1 vaccine compositions against challenge with contemporary cattle virus isolate. What we concluded in mice did not translate to NHPs. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 9, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Follow up publication describing immunogenicity and efficacy in NHPs of historical and contemporary H5N1 vaccine compositions against challenge with contemporary cattle virus isolate. What we concluded in mice did not translate to NHPs. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Happy to announce that we have initiated a phase I clinical trial to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of our LION/repRNA vaccine against #CCHF. This is the culmination of a great partnership with NIAID, UTMB, and our federal sponsors. More to come! www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
FDA Greenlights HDT Bio's First-in-Class HDT-321 for the Prevention of Deadly Tick-Borne Disease
/PRNewswire/ -- HDT Bio Corporation, a U.S.-based clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing immune-enhancing solutions for global health, biodefense, and...
www.prnewswire.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Happy to announce that we have initiated a phase I clinical trial to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of our LION/repRNA vaccine against #CCHF. This is the culmination of a great partnership with NIAID, UTMB, and our federal sponsors. More to come! www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Even our project, which directly addressed the tolerability and upper respiratory tract immunity gaps highlighted by RFK Jr, was impacted by this decision. They clearly didn’t review the 22 contracts/grants and the data already generated under taxpayer investment. We are 3 yrs into our program…
Pandemic preparedness in the US has been leveled a crippling blow with the cancellation of multiple #BARDA contracts to help develop mRNA vaccines. No other vaccine platform produces vaccine so quickly; without mRNA, Americans will have a long wait for pandemic vax. www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/m...
Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research
Vaccine experts and people steeped in pandemic preparedness expressed horror at the news that RFK Jr. has shut the door in U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research.
www.statnews.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Even our project, which directly addressed the tolerability and upper respiratory tract immunity gaps highlighted by RFK Jr, was impacted by this decision. They clearly didn’t review the 22 contracts/grants and the data already generated under taxpayer investment. We are 3 yrs into our program…
Excited to meet the D2R community!
🧬 Register for D2R’s next hybrid seminar: Industry Insights with @jesseerasmus.bsky.social from HDT Bio
📅 Date: July 16th
🕰 Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM
📍 Location: Zoom & in person
🔗 Register now: buff.ly/AayfR7c
#RNA #Biotechnology
📅 Date: July 16th
🕰 Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM
📍 Location: Zoom & in person
🔗 Register now: buff.ly/AayfR7c
#RNA #Biotechnology
July 11, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Excited to meet the D2R community!
🧪 New paper from our team at HDT Bio highlighting that combo repRNA vaccines can lead to excessive innate activation that ultimately inhibits vaccine effectiveness in NHPs. Use of repRNA formulations with restricted biodistribution can alleviate systemic innate response and restore effectiveness.
Antigen-dependent interplay of formulation, systemic innate responses, and antibody responses to multi-component replicon RNA vaccination
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a modular, non-viral nucleic acid delivery system.
Here, Eygeris and colleagues report that addition of saponin molecules, such as quillaic
acid, to LNP formulations can...
www.cell.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:08 AM
🧪 New paper from our team at HDT Bio highlighting that combo repRNA vaccines can lead to excessive innate activation that ultimately inhibits vaccine effectiveness in NHPs. Use of repRNA formulations with restricted biodistribution can alleviate systemic innate response and restore effectiveness.
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Our latest preprint is now available doi.org/10.1101/2025...! Led by my postdoc, Luqiang Guo @luqiang.bsky.social, we determined a ~2.4 A resolution structure of the hantavirus glycoprotein tetramer on the surface of VLPs. Also determined structures of dimers of tetramers and Fab-bound tetramers.
June 18, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Our latest preprint is now available doi.org/10.1101/2025...! Led by my postdoc, Luqiang Guo @luqiang.bsky.social, we determined a ~2.4 A resolution structure of the hantavirus glycoprotein tetramer on the surface of VLPs. Also determined structures of dimers of tetramers and Fab-bound tetramers.
I didn’t realize you could filter the posts of who you follow! The paper feed is just what I was looking for.
There is so, so much good science being shared and discussed on bsky right now. The news of its demise is quite backwards. If you are having trouble finding it among all of the very important political news, use the papersky feed that filters posts you follow to just papers:
bsky.app/profile/pape...
bsky.app/profile/pape...
June 13, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I didn’t realize you could filter the posts of who you follow! The paper feed is just what I was looking for.
Shook Nelson Mandela’s hand when I was 10 years old at some kind of gathering in a community park. Just remember him getting off a helicopter and walking through a crowd shaking hands, including mine.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
June 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Shook Nelson Mandela’s hand when I was 10 years old at some kind of gathering in a community park. Just remember him getting off a helicopter and walking through a crowd shaking hands, including mine.
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Outstanding op-ed from Carole LaBonne
Universities and the government: Which needs the other more?
College-based research labs are the workhorses of national progress and prosperity.
wapo.st/3ZR1vFm
1/n
Universities and the government: Which needs the other more?
College-based research labs are the workhorses of national progress and prosperity.
wapo.st/3ZR1vFm
1/n
wapo.st
June 6, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Outstanding op-ed from Carole LaBonne
Universities and the government: Which needs the other more?
College-based research labs are the workhorses of national progress and prosperity.
wapo.st/3ZR1vFm
1/n
Universities and the government: Which needs the other more?
College-based research labs are the workhorses of national progress and prosperity.
wapo.st/3ZR1vFm
1/n
Collab btwn NIAID (Dr. Andrea Marzi’s lab) and HDT Bio just published! 🧪
Filovirus gold-standard VSV vax platform compared to LION/repRNA (each encoding same antigen seq) for ability to provide single-dose protection in guinea pigs against Sudan virus challenge 🧵(1/2) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Filovirus gold-standard VSV vax platform compared to LION/repRNA (each encoding same antigen seq) for ability to provide single-dose protection in guinea pigs against Sudan virus challenge 🧵(1/2) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Single-dose replicon RNA Sudan virus vaccine uniformly protects female guinea pigs from disease - Nature Communications
Sudan virus (SUDV) outbreaks in Uganda created public health concerns due to a lack of approved vaccines. In this study, the authors develop a repRNA SUDV vaccine and demonstrate full protection of a ...
www.nature.com
May 6, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Collab btwn NIAID (Dr. Andrea Marzi’s lab) and HDT Bio just published! 🧪
Filovirus gold-standard VSV vax platform compared to LION/repRNA (each encoding same antigen seq) for ability to provide single-dose protection in guinea pigs against Sudan virus challenge 🧵(1/2) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Filovirus gold-standard VSV vax platform compared to LION/repRNA (each encoding same antigen seq) for ability to provide single-dose protection in guinea pigs against Sudan virus challenge 🧵(1/2) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I noticed this statement from NIH regarding durability of the inactivated approach. I didn’t see any durability data in the published studies of this candidate. Anyone aware of durability studies performed using inactivated virus platforms? I did one experiment in grad school (in thread below).
May 4, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I noticed this statement from NIH regarding durability of the inactivated approach. I didn’t see any durability data in the published studies of this candidate. Anyone aware of durability studies performed using inactivated virus platforms? I did one experiment in grad school (in thread below).
Just published! Here we report immunogenicity and efficacy of our replicon RNA vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in a cynomolgus macaque model of #CCHFV infection. Stay tuned as we advance this candidate in clinical trials.
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
A replicating RNA vaccine confers protection against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in cynomolgus macaques
Our data demonstrate that our repNP vaccine and NP-specific antibody can protect against
CCHFV in non-human primates.
www.thelancet.com
April 15, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Just published! Here we report immunogenicity and efficacy of our replicon RNA vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in a cynomolgus macaque model of #CCHFV infection. Stay tuned as we advance this candidate in clinical trials.
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
There are days in life that shake you.
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
March 18, 2025 at 11:27 PM
There are days in life that shake you.
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Proteins are a source of glycans found in preparations of glycoRNA https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.17.643711v1
March 18, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Proteins are a source of glycans found in preparations of glycoRNA https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.17.643711v1
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Beautiful day to stand up for science!
March 7, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Beautiful day to stand up for science!
To those who attack vaccines over rare adverse events (observed in consenting populations) and defend SpaceX after spaceship explosions put populations at risk (without consent): science, whether in medicine or aerospace, relies on observation & iteration to improve safety.
We need science!
We need science!
March 7, 2025 at 3:54 PM
To those who attack vaccines over rare adverse events (observed in consenting populations) and defend SpaceX after spaceship explosions put populations at risk (without consent): science, whether in medicine or aerospace, relies on observation & iteration to improve safety.
We need science!
We need science!
Vashon island struggling to roll out of bed this morning.
March 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Vashon island struggling to roll out of bed this morning.
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Ok scientists & those who love science 🧪: here is another exhortation. Call Congress TODAY about the freeze on NIH Council Meetings and Study Sections. Emphasize that this means NO new grants are being funded & labs will soon start to shut down and fire employees. Phone numbers are at:
5calls.org
5calls.org
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
5calls.org
February 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Ok scientists & those who love science 🧪: here is another exhortation. Call Congress TODAY about the freeze on NIH Council Meetings and Study Sections. Emphasize that this means NO new grants are being funded & labs will soon start to shut down and fire employees. Phone numbers are at:
5calls.org
5calls.org
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
🚨 WANT TO HELP US STAND UP FOR SCIENCE? 🚨
Here's a little update on where we're currently at with the planning process!
Is your state red or grey & you want to see an event happen? Fill out our volunteer form or share with a friend! airtable.com/app4h5wUssMG...
#standupforscience2025
Here's a little update on where we're currently at with the planning process!
Is your state red or grey & you want to see an event happen? Fill out our volunteer form or share with a friend! airtable.com/app4h5wUssMG...
#standupforscience2025
February 22, 2025 at 5:19 AM
🚨 WANT TO HELP US STAND UP FOR SCIENCE? 🚨
Here's a little update on where we're currently at with the planning process!
Is your state red or grey & you want to see an event happen? Fill out our volunteer form or share with a friend! airtable.com/app4h5wUssMG...
#standupforscience2025
Here's a little update on where we're currently at with the planning process!
Is your state red or grey & you want to see an event happen? Fill out our volunteer form or share with a friend! airtable.com/app4h5wUssMG...
#standupforscience2025
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
Scientists, we need your stories!
Post a 2-minute video on whatever social media apps you use. Show us your empty labs, tell us about the grant you are waiting for, and talk about why you do what you do.
Tag @c4lifesciences.bsky.social and #Cuts2Science Tag your Members of Congress!
Post a 2-minute video on whatever social media apps you use. Show us your empty labs, tell us about the grant you are waiting for, and talk about why you do what you do.
Tag @c4lifesciences.bsky.social and #Cuts2Science Tag your Members of Congress!
February 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Scientists, we need your stories!
Post a 2-minute video on whatever social media apps you use. Show us your empty labs, tell us about the grant you are waiting for, and talk about why you do what you do.
Tag @c4lifesciences.bsky.social and #Cuts2Science Tag your Members of Congress!
Post a 2-minute video on whatever social media apps you use. Show us your empty labs, tell us about the grant you are waiting for, and talk about why you do what you do.
Tag @c4lifesciences.bsky.social and #Cuts2Science Tag your Members of Congress!
Reposted by Jesse Erasmus
I've been seeing lots of super compelling videos of park rangers and federal lawyers and other federal workers telling their stories. Talking about what they did at their job, how it helped the American people, and why they want to keep doing those jobs.
This is the way.
This is the way.
February 21, 2025 at 12:30 AM
I've been seeing lots of super compelling videos of park rangers and federal lawyers and other federal workers telling their stories. Talking about what they did at their job, how it helped the American people, and why they want to keep doing those jobs.
This is the way.
This is the way.