Research

I

I am interested in the mechanisms of pathogenesis and biofilm formation in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This pathogen is the primary cause of chronic lung infections in persons with Cystic Fibrosis and is also a major cause of a variety of hospital-acquired infections.  Chronic biofilm infections are very difficult to treat due to the intrinsic antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa, coupled with the problem of biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance.

My specific research interests are to understand the resistance mechanisms associated with bacterial biofilms. I am also interested in understanding the role of two-component systems in environmental sensing and controlling biofilm formation. Our objectives are to understand the diverse functions of extracellular DNA in the biofilm matrix. The ultimate goal is to identify strategies to inhibit biofilm formation.

We have created a large collection of mini-Tn5-luxCDABE mutants with known insertion sites as a functional genomics tool to aid in the discovery of new genes required for pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance (http://pseudomutant.pseudomonas.com/)2,4 In addition, our lab uses bioinformatics, bacterial genetics, microscopy and biochemical approaches to study the virulence properties of P. aeruginosa.

For more information, please visit my lab website.