Michael K. Axthelm

Michael K. Axthelm is a Senior Professor at Oregon Health & Science University. His research focuses on immunology, medical virology, and infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on viral pathogenesis and vaccine development in nonhuman primate models. His recent work investigates SIV rebound dynamics following ART interruption, identifying initial sites of viral resurgence and characterizing CD8+ T cell responses. He has also conducted comparative studies on Zika virus isolates in rhesus macaque pregnancy models, demonstrating that a virus-like particle vaccine mitigates early pregnancy loss, and has evaluated neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against lethal yellow fever infection. His contributions include the development of a rhesus macaque single-cell atlas for enhanced immune cell phenotyping, advancing translational insights into HIV, flavivirus, and alphavirus immunity.