External Collaborators
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Alice Prince, Columbia University
We have been studying the interactions of bacteria and respiratory epithelial cells to understand the pathogenesis of bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis (CF). Our approach has been to use bacterial genetic systems to identify virulence genes and adhesins important in the pathogenesis of infection and to delineate the cytokine signaling systems in normal and CF epithelial cells that are activated by these bacterial components.
Charles Sweet, United States Naval Academy
The Sweet lab focuses on the chemistry and potential applications of microbial natural products, including biofuels from extremophilic algae, antibiotics from airborne microbes, and endotoxin molecules from arctic bacteria. Current work includes isolation and growth of organisms using the techniques of microbiology, discovery and structural determination with organic and analytical chemistry, and characterization of novel bioactive compounds using both biological and chemical techniques.
Christian Melander, University of Notre Dame
The Melander lab is interested broadly in applying the principles of synthetic organic chemistry and microbiology to deliver novel molecules that address problems associated with failure in antibiotic therapy for the treatment of bacterial infections. Specifically, we are interested in developing novel approaches to combat biofilm-based infections that typically give rise to chronic infections (such as those found in Cystic Fibrosis patients, indwelling medical devices, and diabetic ulcers), as well as acute bacterial infections caused by multi-drug resistant pathogens.
Corinne Cayatte, Medimmune/Astra Zeneca
- Disease and drug-efficacy biomarker discovery using proteomic approaches, validation and translation into clinic
- Toxicity biomarker discovery
Specialties: - Proteomic: MALDI-ToF, SELDI-ToF, 2D-gel electrophoresis, 2D-DIGE, experience in LC-MS/MS
- Protein purification from tissues and body fluids,HPLC
- In vivo models of autoimmune diseases
David Dowling, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard
Dr. David Dowling is an immunologist and vaccinologist, Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a faculty in the Precision Vaccine Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Dowling's work has made groundbreaking progress in characterizing the immune-polarizing effects of parasite proteins and development of anti-helminth vaccines.
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David Goodlett, University of Victoria
Expertise in host-pathogen interactions, structure activity relationship of lipid A, microbial diagnostics, mass spectrometry-based technology and software development, lipidomics, proteomics and systems biology.
Erik Nilsson, Pataigin
- Experienced leader of biotech and hi-tech companies.
- Prior CEO roles: Rosetta@Cloud (computational biology), Insilicos (cardio diagnostic), Deurion (mass spectrometry), GraphiCode (industrial automation).
Igor Brodsky, University of Pennsylvania
The Brodsky lab focuses on the interplay of bacterial virulence mechanisms and host innate immune recognition strategies. We are interested in how bacterial pathogens are sensed by host cells, how this sensing contributes to antimicrobial immune defense, and how bacterial pathogens evade innate immune recognition.
J. Kristie Johnson, UMB
Dr. Johnson's research focuses on the detection, transmission, and control of antimicrobial resistant organisms concentrating on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Gram-negative bacteria to include multi-drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae (KPC, ESBLs, and plasmid mediated AmpC), Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with over 70 publications. Her expertise in the identification of bacteria, molecular and quantitative methods including PFGE, MLST, VNTR, spa typing, has been beneficial in the study of transmission. She is currently funded through both federal and industry grants in the area of detection and epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance.
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Jason Marshall, NCI-Leidos
The Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory focuses on the development and preclinical evaluation of new cancer prevention vaccines and other treatments.
The laboratory evaluates the immunogenicity of novel vaccines targeted to prevent a variety of cancers including cervical, colorectal, prostate, and several solid tumors.
The team collaborates with several external and internal organizations, including the Laboratory Animal Science Program. The Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory is supported by the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention.
Joseph Gillespie, UMB
Dr. Gillespie is an evolutionary biologist with broad interests in organismal and molecular evolution. The major focus of his current research is deciphering the mechanisms by which obligate intracellular species of Rickettsiales (Alphaproteobacteria) invade, survive and replicate within eukaryotic cells. In research funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Gillespie utilizes phylogenetics, comparative genomics and bioinformatics to guide experimental studies on various pathogenic species of Rickettsia and their associated arthropod vectors.
Julie Bubeck Wardenberg, Washington University in St. Louis
Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief - Division of Critical Care Medicine, Professor of Molecular Microbiology, Donald B Strominger Professor of Pediatrics.
Lucas Hoffman, Seattle Children's Hospital/Univ. of Washington
Lucas R. Hoffman, MD, PhD, is attending physician at Seattle Children's Hospital and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Hoffman's research focuses on chronic lung infections, particularly in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Chronic infections have proven to be particularly difficult to treat with standard antibiotic therapies. For example, the lung infections in children with CF are not improved by antibiotics to the degree we would expect.
Mariette Barbier and Heath Damron, University of West Virginia
The Barbier lab focuses on understanding the interaction between bacterial pathogens and their host to generate novel immunotherapies (such as vaccines and therapeutic antibodies) to fight infections.
Masaru Kanejiyo, NIH
The Molecular Immunoengineering Section (MIS) at the Vaccine Research Center aims to conceive novel vaccine concepts that elicit broad and potent protective immune responses against influenza virus and provide a mechanistic principle for designing vaccines for other hypervariable pathogens such as coronaviruses and HIV-1. Our work involves various biochemical, biophysical, structural, immunological, and computational techniques and tools.
Matthew Frieman, UMB
My overall research goal is to create therapeutic interventions for viruses of public health concern by developing a detailed understanding of how the viruses interact with the host. My research has focused on the recently emerged and highly pathogenic coronaviruses: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID19), as well as Influenza virus. The coronaviruses cause severe lung disease, are highly lethal and yet there are no FDA approved therapeutics that target them.
Ofer Levy, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard
Dr. Ofer Levy is principal investigator, staff physician and the Director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The Precision Vaccines Program (PVP) is an academic research program that applies precision medicine principles to vaccinology to discover and develop next generation vaccines tailored to vulnerable populations. It conducts basic and translational research to develop novel vaccines and therapeutics for diseases that affect vulnerable populations such as infants, older adults, those with chronic disease and those who are immunocompromised.
Sunny Shin, University of Pennsylvania
My lab is interested in uncovering innate immune mechanisms used by the host to defend itself against bacterial pathogens and how bacterial pathogens evade host immunity to cause disease.
We study host:pathogen interactions using a variety of gram-negative bacteria, including the intracellular bacterial pathogens Legionella pneumophila, Coxiella burnetii, and Salmonella Typhimurium, and the extracellular pathogen Yersinia, with the goal of identifying shared and unique features of innate immunity and bacterial virulence.
Ted Ross, University of Georgia
Ted M. Ross, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia.
Tod Merkel, FDA
Our laboratory is studying the interaction between humans and three important bacterial pathogens, Bordetella pertussis (causes whooping cough), Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), and Staphylococcus aureus (causes skin disease, "blood poisoning," toxic shock syndrome). In order to gain a more complete understanding of these interactions, we identify and characterize the bacterial gene products that are required to establish infection and cause disease. In addition, we develop and use animal models and techniques for studying the immune system to identify and characterize the host immune response to the bacterial pathogens.
William and Wendy Picking, University of Missouri
William Picking and Wendy Picking are both professors of Veterinary Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Picking lab investigates the molecules and structures used by pathogenic bacteria to cause disease in humans and animals. The main focus is on specialized structures called type III secretion systems (T3SS) that pathogens such as Shigella, Salmonella and Pseudomonas use to communicate with host cells to alter their normal behavior for the benefit of the pathogen.
Yohei Doi, University of Pittsburg
The mission of Dr. Doi's laboratory is to identify and investigate antimicrobial resistance of clinical concern among gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The areas of research include the genetic and molecular basis of emerging antimicrobial resistance mechanisms; the rapid diagnosis of resistance using phenotypic, genetic, and lipidomic approaches; and inhibitor-based drug discovery. Current efforts are focused on studying carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, a top-priority resistant pathogen, and fosfomycin resistance in Escherichia coli, the predominant cause of urinary tract infection in both healthcare and community settings. The latter work has expanded into drug discovery effort aimed at reversing resistance using an inhibitor-based approach