Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis: Waging the Arms Race with Superbugs

Brent Segelke | 19-LW-048

Executive Summary

We plan to use lattice light-sheet microscopy in combination with a genome editing technique to monitor the sequence of events during bacterial infection in human cells to determine if bacterial cell-to-cell communication modulates the expression of virulence factors. If successful, this new platform for studying subcellular mechanisms to identify cell-function modulators will be a new weapon in the fight against continually evolving drug-resistant pathogens, supporting mitigation efforts against bioterror attacks and pandemics.