My lab's primary research objective is to better understand how pathogenic bacteria evolve and adapt to their environment. Specific topics include understanding how these bacteria (i) invade, colonize, and respond to different environments and hosts, (ii) evade host defenses, (iii) acquire virulence factors, and (iv) interact at the community level.
Central to this endeavor is the study of genetic variation and differential gene expression. With the advent of next generation sequencing technology, these processes can now be examined at the genomic level, and we utilize this technology to examine genomic variation in nucleotide sequence, gene content, and gene expression. Through a combination of these approaches, genes associated with particular disease states and tropisms can be identified, population genetic structure can be precisely delineated, information regarding demographic history and transmission dynamics can be obtained, and bacteria communities can be profiled.
The human microbiome is an exciting new field of genomic study and the profiling of communities from the perspective of species, genes, and gene expression has the potential to aid in the development of novel disease therapeutic and prevention strategies. We have a strong interest in the oral microbiome, with a particular emphasis on the impact of HIV infection in children and the interplay between adaptive immunity and the development of oral disease.
Lastly, information obtained from population studies can help control the spread of disease, elucidate outbreak causal factors, aid post infection source tracking, and assist in the management of livestock. Parallel to this specific interest in bacterial pathogens, we maintain a wide interest in evolutionary biology and population genetics.
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