Bruce Walker
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Biology
Active 1899–2025
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About
Bruce Walker is a Professor of the Practice and a Core Member at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. His research investigates cellular immune responses in chronic human viral infections, with a particular focus on HIV immunology and vaccine development. His laboratory aims to define the interplay of immunologic, virologic, and host genetic factors that determine control of human viral infections, specifically addressing HIV infection. His work guides vaccine development and immunotherapeutic interventions, contributing significantly to understanding HIV-specific T cell functions, immune responses, and viral control mechanisms. Walker has received numerous awards, including the NIH Merit Award, the Bernard Fields Lectureship, and memberships in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
Research topics
- Biology
- Virology
- Internal medicine
- Medicine
- Genetics
- Immunology
- Cell biology
- Cancer research
- Molecular biology
- Obstetrics
Selected publications
SARS-CoV-2 viral load is associated with increased disease severity and mortality
Nature Communications · 2020 · 972 citations
The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and risk of disease progression remains largely undefined in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we quantify SARS-CoV-2 viral load from participants with a diverse range of COVID-19 disease severity, including those requiring hospitalization, outpatients with mild disease, and individuals with resolved infection. We detected SARS-CoV-2 plasma RNA in 27% of hospitalized participants, and 13% of outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19. Amongst the…
Loss of Bcl-6-Expressing T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Centers in COVID-19
Cell · 2020 · 774 citations
JAMA Network Open · 2020 · 438 citations
Importance: Biological data are lacking with respect to risk of vertical transmission and mechanisms of fetoplacental protection in maternal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objective: To quantify SARS-CoV-2 viral load in maternal and neonatal biofluids, transplacental passage of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, and incidence of fetoplacental infection. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted among pregnant women presenting for care at 3…
Distinct viral reservoirs in individuals with spontaneous control of HIV-1
Nature · 2020 · 416 citations
Guidelines for T cell nomenclature
Nature reviews. Immunology · 2025-11-18 · 26 citations
articleOpen access
Recent grants
T-cell-mediated targeting of therapeutics to HIV reservoirs
NIH · $2.1M · 2014–2019
NIH · $25.2M · 2015
NIH · $2.6M · 2007
Frequent coauthors
- 1047 shared
Philip Goulder
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard
- 790 shared
Thumbi Ndung’u
University of KwaZulu-Natal
- 681 shared
Todd M. Allen
Massachusetts General Hospital
- 564 shared
Christian Brander
- 535 shared
Marcus Altfeld
German Center for Infection Research
- 492 shared
Xu G. Yu
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard
- 491 shared
Eric Rosenberg
Massachusetts General Hospital
- 432 shared
Paul Klenerman
John Radcliffe Hospital
Labs
Bruce Walker LabPI
Awards & honors
- Bernard Fields Lectureship (2015)
- NIH Merit Award (2011)
- NIH Merit Award (2004)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010)
- National Academy of Medicine (2009)
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