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 invade and colonize different environments and hosts, evade host defenses, acquire virulence factors, and move between different environments and hosts.
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, and information regarding demographic history and transmission dynamics can be obtained. Subsequent gene knockout, attenuation, and challenge experiments can be performed with the ultimate goal of identifying targets for therapeutic agents and aiding vaccine development.
