Nicole Rose Bracci
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Nicole Rose Bracci
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Nicole Bracci, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Quinnipiac University. She earned her BS in Forensic Biology and a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The Pennsylvania State University. She then went on to earn her PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences. Dr. Bracci completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania as an NIH IRACDA Scholar as a part of the PennPORT program. During that time, she also served as a lecturer at Rutgers University-Camden, teaching virology and microbiology.
At Quinnipiac, Dr. Bracci teaches immunology and virology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her teaching emphasizes the development of foundational knowledge through the building of practical, tangible skills. Additionally, she readily works to incorporate alternative assessment strategies into her courses that foster student success.
Dr. Bracci's research examines how emerging viruses manipulate host cellular pathways, with work spanning bunyaviruses, flaviviruses, alphaviruses, and coronaviruses. Her early studies characterized transcriptomic and post-translational modifications that support Rift Valley fever virus replication. She has collaborated with industry partners on Nanotrap particle–based enrichment of arbovirus clinical samples and screening of pan coronavirus inhibitors. She has also contributed to research elucidating the mechanism of innate immune antagonism of selected viral proteins encoded by SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. The Bracci Lab at Quinnipiac focuses on arbovirus innate immune evasion. Her lab uses molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, and virology approaches to define how arboviruses replicate and disrupt antiviral defenses across diverse cell types.
At Quinnipiac, Dr. Bracci teaches immunology and virology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her teaching emphasizes the development of foundational knowledge through the building of practical, tangible skills. Additionally, she readily works to incorporate alternative assessment strategies into her courses that foster student success.
Dr. Bracci's research examines how emerging viruses manipulate host cellular pathways, with work spanning bunyaviruses, flaviviruses, alphaviruses, and coronaviruses. Her early studies characterized transcriptomic and post-translational modifications that support Rift Valley fever virus replication. She has collaborated with industry partners on Nanotrap particle–based enrichment of arbovirus clinical samples and screening of pan coronavirus inhibitors. She has also contributed to research elucidating the mechanism of innate immune antagonism of selected viral proteins encoded by SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. The Bracci Lab at Quinnipiac focuses on arbovirus innate immune evasion. Her lab uses molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, and virology approaches to define how arboviruses replicate and disrupt antiviral defenses across diverse cell types.
Education
- BS, Pennsylvania State University
- BS, Pennsylvania State University
- PHD, Virginia Tech
Organization
- Biomedical Sciences
Mail Drop
- EC-BMS
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Experience
University of Pennsylvania
NIH IRACDA Postdoctoral Researcher
Philadelphia, PA
2022 - 2025
Selected Publications
Non-Peer Reviewed Journal
Navigating the challenges of teaching-focused faculty: insights from a collaborative workshop
Barrios-Camacho, C., Bracci, N., Cherlin, T., Fried, N., Howcroft, A.
The National Teaching and Learning Forum September (2025)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Tapping into the Success of Science on Tap New River Valley: Lessons Learned from Seven Years of a Community-Centered Science Outreach Program
Hagen, A.P.I., DeNunzio, M., Kroehler, C.J., Chen, S., Goh, Y.-X., Burke, K.L., Oyedele, E., Hockman, C., Vayda, P., Bracci, N., Pagani, M., Good, D.J., Pfeiffer, D.G., Allen, E., and Raun, P
Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship September (2025)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Human Alphacoronaviruses Replication and Innate Immune Induction in Airway Cultures Systems
Fausto, A., Otter, C., Torres, L., Blomqvist, E., Bracci, N., Renner, D., Tan, L., Mooring, D., Ebert, N., Trueb, L., Thiel, V., Cohen, N., Burke, J., Weiss, S.
MBio December (2025)
Peer Reviewed Journal
An LIR motif in the Rift Valley fever virus NSs protein is critical for the interaction with LC3 family members and inhibition of autophagy
Petraccione, K., Ali, M. G. H., Cyr, N., Wahba, H. M., Stocker, T., Akhrymuk, M., Akhrymuk, I., Panny, L., Bracci, N., Cafaro, R., Sastre, D., Silberfarb, A., O'Maille, P., Omichinski, J., & Kehn-Hall, K.
PLos Pathogens March (2024)
Peer Reviewed Journal
SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 endoribonuclease antagonizes dsRNA-induced antiviral 4 signaling
Otter, C. J.*, Bracci, N.*, Parenti, N. A.*, Ye, C., Asthana, A., Blomqvist, E. K., Tan, L. H., Pfannenstiel, J. J., Jackson, N., Fehr, A. R., Silverman, R. H., Burke, J. M., Cohen, N. A., Martinez-Sobrido, L., & Weiss, S. R.
PNAS April (2024)
Peer Reviewed Journal
CK1 and PP1 regulate Rift Valley fever virus genome replication through L protein phosphorylation
Bracci, N., Baer, A., Flor, R., Petraccione, K., Stocker, T., Zhou, W., Ammosova, T., Dinglasan, R. R., Nekhai, S., & Kehn-Hall, K.
Antiviral Research June (2024)