ADVANCING THE BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL STUDY OF THE HOST-MICROBE INTERACTION

Over the past century, microbiology research has clearly established that symbiotic and pathogenic microbes colonizing humans can influence health, disease, and drug responses. The next step in understanding these complex host–microbe interactions is to directly define the molecular factors that govern biological function (e.g., proteins, metabolites, post-translational modifications) and to delineate their mechanisms of action. To this end, the Gonzalez laboratory uses approaches that range from systems-scale analyses to single-target studies to investigate bacterial pathogenesis, host responses to infection, and the human microbiome. At its core, the laboratory develops and applies quantitative proteomics tools to simultaneously track the dynamics of thousands of proteins and their post-translational modifications with high accuracy and throughput. We then apply microbiological techniques to characterize the key factors identified in these interactions. When appropriate, we pursue translational studies of therapeutic relevance using tissue culture models, murine models, and analyses of human biospecimens. These findings are ultimately leveraged to design novel strategies for detecting and treating microbe-driven infectious diseases in humans.