Zatechka, Steve

Steve Zatechka, PhD, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
US BIOLOGIC, Memphis, TN

“A One-Health Path to Prevent Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases”

Steve earned his PhD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and his MBA from the University of Memphis. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  Steve’s research and training focused on the development and utilization of gene targeting technologies for engineering animal models and the development of applied biotechnology-based protocols.

He now directs the research and development of the US BIOLOGIC production platform technology and is the company’s primary investigator for its SBIR-funded programs. He holds several patents in these areas and others across a spectrum of biotechnology foci. Steve publishes and speaks widely on zoonotic diseases and the positive impacts orally delivered vaccines can have on global health.

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Conference Lecture Summary

“A One-Health Path to Prevent Zoonotic Disease” – With 75% of all emerging infectious diseases being zoonotic in nature, the need of safe, effective, and cost-efficient prevention methods becomes a necessary endeavor. Recognizing the complexities of addressing a range of species (human, animal, insect), diseases, and ecologies, a One Health approach is best suited to cause an effective change. This talk will focus on one example of a One Health program – effective oral delivery of vaccines and therapeutics to wildlife and food animals. Data will be presented from successful approaches, focusing on a successful orally delivered vaccine targeting the wildlife disease reservoir for Lyme disease, the white-footed mouse.