Molecular Virology
The Broadbent lab aims to advance our understanding of the molecular basis underpinning the replication and pathogenesis of avian viruses, to better prevent and control diseases of significance to the poultry industry, and to public health. Current projects are focused on viruses with segmented RNA genomes, including: avian influenza virus (AIV), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), and avian reovirus (ARV).
The lab uses these viruses as tools to:
1. Improve the control of animal viruses- Improve the efficacy of current vaccines, improve the design of future vaccines, identify gene targets for engineering more resistant animals.
2. Model pathogenesis and immunosuppression- Identify host and viral factors that influence the outcome of disease, determine how immunosuppression in livestock impacts upon the pathogenesis, evolution & transmission of potentially zoonotic infectious diseases, define immunosuppression at mucosal surfaces, characterize the recovery from immunosuppression.
3. Determine viral replication mechanisms- Define the nature of virus replication complexes, characterize the host-cell antiviral response, determine the molecular mechanisms underpinning reassortment
4. Control other diseases in animals and humans- Determine the utility of viruses as vaccine vectors and in oncolytic viral therapy
We use a blend of in vitro cell culture, primary tissues and cells, and in vivo studies, and employ molecular biology, immunological, and bio- imaging techniques in the lab. Please get in touch if you are interested in opportunities to join the team.
More information
Education and Experience
2021- , Assistant Professor, Virology, Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
2020-2021, Teaching Fellow, Immunology & Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, UK
2019-2021, Group Leader, The Pirbright Institute, UK
2014-2019, Research Fellow, The Pirbright Institute, UK
2010-2014, Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow, Virology, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
2006-2010, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, Imperial College London, UK
2005-2006, MSc, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
2002-2005, VetMB, Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
1999-2002, MA, Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK
Past and Present members of the team
Present Members
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr Zubair Khalid, 2025
Faculty Assistants and lab technicians
Alex (Aly) Broadway, 2024-present
Megan Liu, 2025
Graduate students
Andrew Brodrick, PhD student, 2021-present
Jyothsna Girish, PhD student, 2024-present
Undergraduate and placement students
Emmaline Sundvall, ANSC, 2025
Gabriele Smith-Hicks, ANSC, 2025
Matthew Quintanilla, CMNS, 2025
Past members
Undergraduate and placement students
Alisha van Eck, ANSC, 2021-2022
Shelley Wang, UMB, 2022
Eunice Ok, SPHL, 2023
Amber Rayford, CMNS, 2023
Declan Kehlbeck, ANSC, 2022-2025
Megan Liu, ANSC, 2023-2025
Jimmy Dong, ANSC, 2024-2025
Jane Jou, CMNS, 2024-2025
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr Sofia Egana-Labrin, 2022-2025
Publications
2025: Broadbent A. A veterinary virapalooza: a summary of the 2024 American Society for Virology (ASV) Veterinary/Zoonotic Virology Satellite Symposium and online H5N1 panel discussion. Journal of Virology, 2025 Jun 17;99(6):e0049925. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00499-25. Epub 2025 May 13.
2024: Reddy VRAP, Bianco C, Poulos C, Egana-Labrin SC, Brodrick AJ, Nazki S, Schock A, Broadbent AJ. Molecular characterization of reassortant infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) strains of genogroup A3B1 detected in some areas of Britain between 2020 and 2021. Virology, 2024 Oct 18:600:110269. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110269
2023: Egana-Labrin S, Broadbent AJ. Avian Reovirus: a furious and fast evolving pathogen. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2023, Oct 6 2023;72:001761. doi:10.1099/jmm.0.001761
2023: Nazki S, Reddy VRAP, Kamble N, Sadeyen J, Iqbal M, Behboudi S, Shelton H, Broadbent AJ. CD4+TGFβ+ cells infiltrated the bursa of Fabricius following IBDV infection, and correlated with delayed viral clearance, but did not correlate with disease severity, or immunosuppression. Frontiers in Immunology, 12:1197746. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1197746.
2023: Francois S, Nazki S, Vickers SH, Fournie G, Perrins CM, Broadbent AJ, Pybus OG, Hill SC. Genetic diversity, recombination and cross-species transmission of a waterbird gammacoronavirus in the wild. Journal of General Virology, 2023, Aug 104(8). doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001883.
2023: Brodrick AJ, Broadbent AJ. The formation and function of Birnaviridae virus factories. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023, May 9;(24):8471. doi:10.3390/ijms24108471.
2023: Reddy VRAP, Nazki S, Asfor A, Broadbent AJ. An Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) Reverse Genetics Rescue System and Neutralization Assay in Chicken B cells. Current Protocols, 2023, Jan 3(1):e369. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.639.
2022: Asfor AS, Reddy VRAP, Nazki S, Urbaniec J, Brodrick AJ, Broadbent AJ. Modeling Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) Antigenic Drift In Vitro. Viruses, 2022, Dec 31;15(01):130. doi: 10.3390/v15010130.
2022: Reddy VRAP, Nazki S, Brodrick AJ, Asfor A, Urbaniec J, Morris Y, Broadbent AJ. Evaluating the breadth of neutralizing antibody responses elicited by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) genogroup A1 strains using a novel chicken B-cell rescue system and neutralization assay. Journal of Virology, 2022, Sep 7;e0125522.doi: 10.1128/jvi.01255-22
2022: Reddy VRAP, Campbell EA, Wells J, Simpson J, Nazki S, Hawes PC, Broadbent AJ. Birnaviridae virus factories show features of liquid-liquid phase separation, and are distinct from paracrystalline arrays of virions observed by electron microscopy. Journal of Virology, 2022, Feb 9;jvi0202421. doi: 10.1128/jvi.02024-21.
2021: Asfor A, Nazki S, Reddy VRAP, Campbell E, Dulwich KL, Giotis ES, Skinner MA, Broadbent AJ. Transcriptomic Analysis of Inbred Chicken Lines Reveals Infectious Bursal Disease Severity Is Associated with Greater Bursal Inflammation In Vivo and More Rapid Induction of Pro-Inflammatory Responses in Primary Bursal Cells Stimulated Ex Vivo. Viruses, 2021, 13(5), 933; doi: 10.3390/v13050933
2021: Broadbent AJ. Infectious Bursal Disease Virus. In Poultry Health: A Guide for Professionals. Edited by Paul Barrow. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International (CABI). Chapter 15v, pp172-177, doi: 10.1079/9781789245042.0000
2020: Dulwich KL, Gray A, Asfor A, Giotis S, Skinner M, Broadbent AJ. The stronger downregulation of in vitro and in vivo innate antiviral responses by a very virulent strain of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), compared to a classical strain, is mediated, in part, by the VP4 protein. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2020, June 9, 10.315. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00315
2020: Campbell E, Gray A, Skinner M, Jennifer Simpson, Pippa Hawes, Broadbent AJ. Discrete virus factories form in the cytoplasm of cells co-infected with two strains of the segmented dsRNA virus, infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), that subsequently coalesce. Journal of Virology, 2020, Jun 16; 94 (13), e-02107-19, doi: 10.1128/JVI.02107-19.
2018: Dulwich KL, Asfor AS, Gray AG, Nair V, Broadbent AJ. An ex vivo chicken primary bursal-cell culture model to study infectious bursal disease virus pathogenesis. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2018; Oct 4; (140); doi: 10.3791/58489
2018: Sadigh Y, Powers C, Spiro S, Pedrera M., Broadbent A, Nair V. Gallid hepesvirus 3 SB-1 strain as a recombinant viral vector for poultry vaccination. NPJ Vaccines, 2018; May 28; 3:21; doi: 10.1038/s41541-018-0056-6
2018: Soubies S, Courtillon C, Abed M, Amelot M, Keita A, Broadbent A, Härtle S, Kaspers B, Eterradossi N. Propagation and titration of infectious bursal disease virus, including non-cell- culture-adapted strains, using ex vivo-simulated chicken bursal cells. Avian Pathology, 2017; Jan; doi: 10.1080/03079457.2017.1393044
2017: Dulwich KL, Giotis ES, Gray A, Nair V, Skinner M, Broadbent AJ. Differential gene expression in chicken primary B cells infected ex vivo with attenuated and very virulent strains of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Journal of General Virology, 2017; 98:2918-2930; doi:10.1099/jgv.0.000979
2017: Ciccone NA, Smith LP, Mwangi W, Boyd A, Broadbent AJ, Smith AL, Nair V. Early pathogenesis during infectious bursal disease in susceptible chickens is associated with changes in B cell genomic methylation and loss of genome integrity. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 2017 Mar; doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2017.03.014.
2017: Houser KV, Broadbent AJ, Gretebeck L, Vogel L, Lamirande EW, Sutton T, Bock KW, Minai M, Orandle M, Moore IN, Subbarao K. Enhanced inflammation in New Zealand white rabbits when MERS-CoV reinfection occurs in the absence of neutralizing antibody. PLoS Pathogens, 2017 Aug 17; 13(8):e1006565; doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006565
2016: Broadbent AJ, Santos CP, Anafu A, Wimmer E, Mueller S, Subbarao K. Evaluation of the attenuation, immunogenicity, and efficacy of a live virus vaccine generated by codon-pair bias de-optimization of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in ferrets. Vaccine, 2016 Jan 20; 3(4): 563-570; doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.11.054.
2016: Broadbent AJ, Boonnak B, Subbarao K. Respiratory Virus Vaccines. In Mucosal Immunology, Fourth Edition. Edited by Jiri Mestecky & Michael W. Russell. Elsevier Academic Press. Chapter 59, pp 1129-1170; doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-415847-4.00059-82015:
2015: Broadbent AJ, Santos CP, Paskel M, Matsuoka Y, Lu J, Chen Z, Jin H, Subbarao K. Replication of live attenuated cold-adapted H2N2 influenza virus vaccine candidates in non human primates. Vaccine, 2015 Jan 1; 33(1): 193-200; doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.10.065.
2014: Broadbent AJ, Santos CP, Godbout R, Subbarao K. The Temperature-Sensitive and Attenuation Phenotypes Conferred by Mutations in the Influenza Virus PB2, PB1, and NP Genes Are Influenced by the Species of Origin of the PB2 Gene in Reassortant Viruses Derived from Influenza A/California/07/2009 and A/WSN/33 Viruses. Journal of Virology, 2014 Nov 1; 88(21): 12339-12347; doi: 10.1128/JVI.02142-14.
2014: Lakdawala SS, Wu Y, Wawrzusin P, Kabat J, Broadbent AJ, Lamirande EW, Fodor E, Altan-Bonnet N, Shroff H, Subbarao K. Influenza A virus assembly intermediates fuse in the cytoplasm. PLoS Pathogens, 2014 Mar 6;10(3):e1003971; doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003971.
2013: Horner PJ, Wills GS, Reynolds R, Johnson AM, Muir DA, Winston A, Broadbent AJ, Parker D, McClure MO. Effect of time since exposure to Chlamydia trachomatis on Chlamydia antibody detection in women: A cross sectional study. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2013 Aug; 89(5): 398-403; doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2011-050386.
2011: Broadbent AJ, Subbarao K. Influenza Virus Vaccines: Lessons from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Current Opinion in Virology, 2011 Oct; 1(4): 254-262; doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2011.08.002.
2011: Broadbent A, Horner P, Wills G, Ling A, Carzaniga R, McClure M. HIV-1 does not significantly influence C. trachomatis serovar L2 replication in vitro. Microbes and Infection, 2011 Jun; 13(6): 575-584; doi: 10.1016/j.mmicinf.2011.01.019.
2009: Wills GS, Horner PJ, Reynolds R, Johnson AM, Muir DA, Brown DW, Winston A, Broadbent AJ. Parker P, and McClure MO. Pgp 3 Antibody Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, a Sensitive and Specific Assay for Seroepidemiological Analysis of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 2009 Jun; 16(6): 835-843; doi: 10.1128/CVI.00021-09.
News Articles
ANSC’s Dr. Andrew Broadbent Elected as ASV Veterinary Virology Councilor | Animal Sciences (umd.edu)
https://agnr.umd.edu/momentum-magazine/summer-2023/preventing-poultry-pandemic
https://ansc.umd.edu/news/37th-annual-symposium-2024/
https://ansc.umd.edu/news/ansc-student-awards-recognitions-roundup-spring-2024/
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-research-bird-flu-science-broadbent-university/
https://today.umd.edu/solutions-to-bird-flu-hatched
https://terp.umd.edu/solutions-to-bird-flu-hatched
https://ansc.umd.edu/news/ansc-student-awards-recognitions-roundup-spring-and-summer-2025/
Teaching
ANSC 101, "Principles of Animal Science", teacher (Spring 2023), guest lecturer (2024-present)
ANSC 340, "Health Management of Animal Populations" (a course on animal infectious diseases and biosecurity), teacher (2022-present)
ANSC 440 / 688J, "Zoonotic Diseases and Control", co-teacher (2024-present)
ANSC 460 / 688I, "Comparative Vertebrate Immunology", guest lecturer, (2021-present)
VMSC 670, "Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases", guest lecturer (2022- present)
Links
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-broadbent-4414b513/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=YAzMzXQAAAAJ&hl=en
