Bloom’s research focuses on the molecular evolution of viruses and viral proteins, particularly of rapidly-evolving RNA viruses like influenza, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2.[1][8][9][10] His lab uses a combination of computational and experimental techniques to understand how changes in viral proteins result in immune escape, drug resistance, and shifts in host specificity.[2] His group performed the first experimental study showing that human coronaviruses evolve to escape from human antibodies.[11]
Bloom has helped lead the development of deep mutational scanning techniques for measuring the effects of large numbers of mutations in viral proteins in parallel.[8][10][12] Notably, his laboratory provided the first map of the effects of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain on folding and ACE2 affinity.[10] Using the same technique, Bloom’s research group prospectively identified mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that erode the immunity provided by both therapeutic antibodies and naturally elicited immune responses.[13][14] His group has integrated these measurements into an antibody-escape calculator that is used to help track SARS-CoV-2 evolution.[15] They also showed that the ability to bind human ACE2 is widespread and highly evolvable among natural SARS-related coronaviruses, highlighting the zoonotic potential of this family of viruses.[16]
In addition to his scientific publications, Bloom has authored several columns with Sarah Cobey in the New York Times about SARS-CoV-2 evolution.[18][19]
Bloom has also argued that it is important for virologists to ensure that virology research is performed responsibly and does not create biosafety or biosecurity risks. He outlined his views in a column he published on the topic in the New York Times.[20]
In 2021, Bloom was a co-author of a letter calling for further investigation of COVID-19 origins published in Science.[21] Bloom's research on the origin of COVID-19 "raised the possibility that the Chinese government might be trying to hide evidence about the pandemic’s early spread" and was the subject of a meeting with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).[22][23]
^Dadonaite, Bernadeta; Crawford, Katharine H. D.; Radford, Caelan E.; Farrell, Ariana G.; Yu, Timothy C.; Hannon, William W.; Zhou, Panpan; Andrabi, Raiees; Burton, Dennis R.; Liu, Lihong; Ho, David D.; Neher, Richard A.; Bloom, Jesse D. (2022-10-13). "A pseudovirus system enables deep mutational scanning of the full SARS-CoV-2 spike". bioRxiv10.1101/2022.10.13.512056.