Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Dr. Jutras (1982-2026) was Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech when he received a 2021 Emerging Leader Award.
Monoclonal antibody to detect the release of an unusual glycopeptide as a biomarker of infection for acute Lyme disease
Dr. Jutras’s past research focused on the importance of peptidoglycan in Lyme disease pathogenesis. Through this ELA project, he leveraged his work on the biochemistry of peptidoglycan to develop a novel diagnostic for acute Lyme disease.
At the time of this award, Dr. Jutras was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech. He was also part of the Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, the Molecular and Cellular Biology program, and the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health program at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Jutras focused his entire research career on studying the biology and pathogenesis of Borrelia burgdorferi. With over 25 peer-reviewed publications in many of science’s top journals, Dr. Jutras used a diverse array of atomic, molecular, and cellular tools to diagnose, understand, and treat Lyme disease. His approach challenged paradigms in bacterial physiology, and his research group leveraged their findings to improve the overall welfare of humans and animals.
He earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the College of Medicine at University of Kentucky. His innovative diagnostic project was selected for a 2021 Emerging Leader Award, a $100,000 grant.
Read more about Brandon Jutras, PhD, and his contributions to Lyme disease research.