Graduate student’s love of science leads to prestigious national fellowship

Kaylee Petraccione lost her hearing after a vaccination in 2021, but maintains a passion for pursuing research that may one day help rationally design a new vaccine. And it’s led to her winning a national-level grant.

“I got a vaccine booster before the semester started, and within a very short period of time I developed a full body rash and really bad tinnitus,” said Petraccione, a doctoral student studying biomedical and veterinary sciences. “I went to bed and woke up at 5 the next morning screaming because I couldn’t hear anything. When you wake up deaf, it’s really scary and terrifying.”

Today, Petraccione is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms enabling the Rift Valley fever virus to cause disease. In July, this work earned her the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research award from the National Institute of Health (NIH).

“NIH F31 fellowships are extremely competitive and prestigious awards,” said Kylene Kehn-Hall, professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology and Petraccione’s mentor. “Kaylee being awarded this fellowship speaks to her excellence as a candidate and the quality of her research. This is an enormous accomplishment, and I am extremely proud of her.”  

According to the NIH, the goal of the award is to enhance diversity of scientists for research careers in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences, including those with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For Petraccione, the grant will support her ultimate goal of closing the knowledge gap regarding the viral pathogenesis of the disease to enable some form of therapeutic intervention or vaccine.

Petraccione said there is currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment or vaccine for the Rift Valley fever virus, which is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and currently spreading to the Arabian Peninsula. The virus is transmitted through mosquito bites and can spread through aerosol particles or contact with bodily tissues or fluids from an infected person or animal.

Since the virus was identified in the Rift Valley of Kenya in 1931, herds of livestock have been infected, causing health and economic hardships. In livestock, severe infections result in nearly 100 percent death rates in the young, almost 100 percent rates of abortions in pregnant females, and a 20 to 30 percent death rate in adults. In humans, severe cases can cause hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis in less than 2 percent of those infected, yet most people recover within a week of infection.

“The mosquitoes in the U.S. and Europe are competent to carry this virus, so it’s very easy for this virus to spread here, and it’s a high priority pathogen concern of the U.S. government and the World Health Organization,” said Petraccione, who is an affiliate member of the Infectious Disease Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program. “All it would take is for an infected animal to come here on a boat, and then all of a sudden the mosquitoes start carrying the virus and it will wipe out our herds too. The virus is so dangerous I have to wear a powered air purifying respirator to protect myself.”

Petraccione’s desire to help others has been a driving force ever since she began her post secondary education at Coastal Carolina University. Originally from Schenectady, New York, Petraccione discovered her love for molecular biology and research with a professor who was a Virginia Tech graduate. 

“Neither of my parents have a four-year degree,” Petraccione, who began her Ph.D. in Virginia Tech’s Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program in August 2021. “I push myself to be the best that I can be because I want to better myself and my future, and my family as well.” 

Because of her own challenges, Petraccione is passionate about incorporating outreach into her career, and she already has a head start. 

“I went into a local low-income school to teach preschoolers and kindergartners about viruses,” Petraccione said. “I made a little 3D model of the virus I work with and had them pass it around to learn about transmission and how fast virus systems spread and how to prevent giving each other viruses.”

Petraccione plans to stay in academia and pursue a postdoctoral position where she can continue to help others.