Welcome to Ernst Laboratory!
About
Robert (Bob) K. Ernst, Ph.D., is the Dr. Paul and Mrs. Jean Corcoran Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis in the School of Dentistry and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Medicine. He is also a University of Maryland, Baltimore Distinguished University Professor.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Biology at the State University of New York at Oswego and his PhD in Microbiology at the University of Virginia in the laboratories of Dr. David Rekosh and Dr. Marie Louise Hammarskjold. His post-doctoral research work in Dr. Samuel Miller’s laboratory at the University of Washington focused on understanding the role of bacterial membrane lipids, specifically lipopolysaccharide in altering and defending against host innate immune recognition and killing mechanisms. Prior to joining the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis in 2008, he was a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington.
Dr. Ernst’s laboratory has been at the forefront of innovative research studying the molecular basis and adaptive significance of modifications to the structure of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). He specifically focuses on the elucidation of the molecular basis by which Gram-negative bacteria modify the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and how these alterations affect or circumvent normal host innate immune system responses. He has also developed a practical method, bacterial enzymatic combinatorial chemistry (BECC) that can be used to engineer functionally diverse lipid A molecules for use as vaccine adjuvant and for the rapid identification of pathogens directly from complex biological fluids, such as blood and urine, without the need for ex vivo amplification using mass spectrometry.
