Thomas P. Burke
Biography
Thomas P. Burke, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Department at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. Burke studies intracellular bacterial pathogens, with a focus on tick-borne Rickettsia species and their interactions with host innate and adaptive immunity. His work has revealed mechanisms by which these obligate intracellular bacteria evade host defenses and established mouse models of rickettsial disease.
Stemming from his bacterial pathogenesis work, Burke also investigates the use of attenuated cytosolic bacteria as cancer immunotherapies, demonstrating synergistic effects between bacterial delivery and innate immune agonists in tumor treatment. His lab is investigating how bacteria colonize tumors and how they can be engineered as tumor-targeting therapies. In collaboration with UCI's Prof. Vy Dong (Chemistry), Burke is developing novel small molecules to activate innate immunity in tumors.
Burke received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied lysozyme resistance in Listeria monocytogenes. He completed postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley, investigating Rickettsia pathogenesis and immune evasion strategies. Burke has published 18 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications, eLife, and Science Advances. His research has been featured on the Nature Microbiology front page and selected for an eLife Digest. He holds two patents related to bacterial therapeutics and vaccine development.
Burke's laboratory is supported by an NIH R01 grant totaling $3.7 million over five years, along with additional funding from the American Cancer Society, UC Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, and UC Irvine School of Medicine. He serves on the UC Irvine Institute for Immunology Steering Committee and co-leads the Immunology & Microbiology track of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program. Burke has mentored four graduate students, multiple undergraduate researchers, and laboratory staff, with trainees receiving T32 fellowships and travel awards from the American Society of Rickettsiology.
Return to topEducation
- B.S. in Biology with Honors, Indiana University, 2009
- B.A. in Spanish, Indiana University, 2009
- Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 2015
Distinctions
- School of Medicine, Outstanding Research, Honorable Mention, 2026
- Chao Family Cancer Center, Anti-Cancer Challenge Pilot Award, 2025
- School of Medicine, New Investigator Award, 2024
- American Cancer Society IRG Seed Grant, 2023
- American Society of Rickettsiology, Travel Grant , 2023
- Best Honors Thesis in Biology Award, Indiana University, 2009
- Best Undergrad Research Paper in Biology Award, Indiana University, 2009
- Howard W. Clark Scholarship, Indiana University, 2009
- Summa cum laude, Indiana University, 2009
- Fernandus Payne Scholarship, Indiana University, 2007
- Indiana University Dean's list, 2005-2009
- Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences Merit Scholarship, 2005
- AP Scholar with Distinction Award, 2005
Areas of Expertise
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunity
- Rickettsia Virulence Factor Characterization
- Autophagy Evasion by Pathogens
- Innate Immune Agonist Combinations
- Tumor-Targeted Bacterial Immunotherapy
- Small molecular innate immune agonists for cancer
Recent Publications
- Chaichana P, Satapoomin N, Kullapanich C, Chuenklin S, Mohammad A, Inthawong M, Burke TP, Sunyakumthorn P, Salje J, “Comparative virulence analysis of seven diverse strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi reveals a multifaceted and complex interplay of virulence factors responsible for disease.” (opens in new tab), Plos Pathogens, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. e1012833, 2025.
- Sun H, Luu AP, Danielson M, Burke TP, “Host glutathione is required for Rickettsia parkeri cell division and intracellular survival.” (opens in new tab), Nature communications, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 5547, 2025.
- Danielson M, Nicolai CJ, Vo TT, Wolf NK, Burke TP, “Cytosolic bacterial pathogens activate TLR pathways in tumors that synergistically enhance STING agonist cancer therapies.” (opens in new tab), iScience, vol. 27, pp. 111385, 2024.
- Borgo GM, Burke TP, Tran CJ, Lo NTN, Engström P, Welch MD, “A patatin-like phospholipase mediates Rickettsia parkeri escape from host membranes.” (opens in new tab), Nature Communications, vol. 13, pp. 3656, 2022.
- Burke TP, Engström P, Tran JT, Glasner DR, Espinosa DA, Harris E, Welch MD, “Interferon receptor-deficient mice are susceptible to eschar-associated rickettsiosis.” (opens in new tab), eLife, vol. 10, pp. e67029, 2021.
- Engström P, Burke TP, Cuong JT, Iavarone AT, Welch MD, “Lysine methylation shields an intracellular pathogen from ubiquitylation and autophagy.” (opens in new tab), Science Advances, vol. 7, no. 26, pp. eabg2517, 2021.
- Burke TP, Engström P, Chavez RA, Fonbuena JA, Vance RE, Welch MD, “Inflammasome-mediated antagonism of type I interferon enhances Rickettsia pathogenesis.” (opens in new tab), Nature Microbiology, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 688-696, 2020.
- Engström P, Burke TP, Mitchell G, Ingabire N, Mark KG, Golovkine G, Iavarone AT, Rape M, Cox JS, Welch MD, “Evasion of autophagy mediated by Rickettsia surface protein OmpB is critical for virulence.” (opens in new tab), Nature Microbiology, vol. 4, no. 12, pp. 2538-2551, 2019.
- Ahyong V., Berdan C.A., Burke T.P., Nomura D.K., Welch M.D., “Erratum for Ahyong et al., "A Metabolic Dependency for Host Isoprenoids in the Obligate Intracellular Pathogen Rickettsia parkeri Underlies a Sensitivity to the Statin Class of Host-Targeted Therapeutics"” (opens in new tab), Msphere, vol. 4, 2019.
- McFarland AP, Burke TP, Carletti AA, Glover RC, Tabakh H, Welch MD, Woodward JJ, “RECON-dependent inflammation in hepatocytes enhances Listeria monocytogenes cell-to-cell spread.” (opens in new tab), mBio, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 433, 2018.
- Burke TP, “The Unexpected Effects of the Combination of Antibiotics and Immunity.” (opens in new tab), Cell, vol. 172, no. 5, pp. 891-3, 2018.
- Burke TP, Portnoy DA, “SpoVG is a conserved RNA-binding protein that regulates Listeria monocytogenes lysozyme resistance, virulence, and swarming motility.” (opens in new tab), mBio, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. e00240-16, 2016.
- Durack J, Burke TP, Portnoy DA, “A Prl mutation in SecY suppresses secretion and virulence defects of Listeria monocytogenes.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Bacteriology, vol. 197, no. 5, pp. 932-42, 2015.
- Burke TP, Loukitcheva A, Zemansky J, Wheeler R, Boneca IG, Portnoy DA, “Listeria monocytogenes is resistant to lysozyme through the regulation, not acquisition, of cell wall modifying enzymes.” (opens in new tab), Journal of Bacteriology, vol. 196, no. 21, pp. 3756-67, 2014.
- DeYoung BJ, Qi D, Kim SH, Burke TP, Innes RW, “Activation of a plant nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat disease resistance protein by a modified self protein.” (opens in new tab), Cellular Microbiology, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 1071-1084, 2014.
- Witte CE, Whitely AT, Burke TP, Sauer JD, Portnoy DA, Woodward JJ, “Cyclic di-AMP is critical for Listeria monocytogenes growth, cell wall homeostasis, and establishment of infection.” (opens in new tab), mBio, vol. 4, pp. e00282-00213, 2013.
Contact Information
Website: https://burkelab.medschool.uci.edu
Email: tpburke@uci.edu
Phone: (949) 824-7570
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Last updated on 5/23/2026.