Introduction
how do pathogens know where they are?
Introduction
how do pathogens know where they are?
We are interested in the interaction of eukaryotic pathogens such as Toxoplasma with their respective hosts. Obligate intracellular parasites display distinct survival and developmental phenotypes in certain environments. For example, the asexual replication phenotype is only expressed inside the protective host-cell environment following invasion of that cell. Replication does not take place outside of a host-cell.
How do these pathogens know where they are?
How do they know if there are intracellular or extracellular?
What are the cellular events or signals that form the molecular basis for this environmental phenotypic plasticity?
The core chemical biology and molecular parasitology skill-sets present within our lab puts us in a unique position to answer these questions. We combine chemistry, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology tools, and novel technology platforms to interrogate the integrated biology of host-pathogen interactions.
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasma
a model
host-pathogen interaction
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a single-cell parasite, and the most successful parasite on the planet, infecting up to a third of the world’s human population. Inside a host T. gondii develops within a host-cell. How the parasite detects and interprets biological information (signals) within this cell is poorly understood. These signals can be transmitted by reactive small molecules (such as hydrogen peroxide), and detected by reactive protein-associated amino acids such as cysteine.
The origin of these reactive messengers, how they are detected and how the parasite responds is not known and is an avenue of research we are pursuing.
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasma
a model
host-pathogen interaction
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a single-cell parasite, and the most successful parasite on the planet, infecting up to a third of the world’s human population. Inside a host T. gondii develops within a host-cell. How the parasite detects and interprets biological information (signals) within this cell is poorly understood. These signals can be transmitted by reactive small molecules (such as hydrogen peroxide), and detected by reactive protein-associated amino acids such as cysteine.
The origin of these reactive messengers, how they are detected and how the parasite responds is not known and is an avenue of research we are pursuing.
Plasmodium
Future tech
Some basic research questions cannot be asked because suitable technologies are not available, or only become apparent once a technology is invented - the known (and unknown) unknowns.
To be able to ask these questions, a major focus of the lab is the invention, development and application of future tech platforms and pipelines for biology and drug discovery.
These include:
Reactivity profiling for the discovery of antimicrobial targets.
Proteome engineering for antimicrobial drug target prioritization.
Cellular barcoding of eukaryotic pathogens for within-host population
dynamics.
Multiplexed in vivo phenotypic screens for next generation antimicrobials.
Plasmodium
Future tech
Some basic research questions cannot be asked because suitable technologies are not available, or only become apparent once a technology is invented - the known (and unknown) unknowns.
To be able to ask these questions, a major focus of the lab is the invention, development and application of future tech platforms and pipelines for biology and drug discovery.
These include:
Reactivity profiling for the discovery of antimicrobial targets.
Proteome engineering for antimicrobial drug target prioritization.
Cellular barcoding of eukaryotic pathogens for within-host population
dynamics.
Multiplexed in vivo phenotypic screens for next generation antimicrobials.