The School of Natural Sciences
Presents
Impact of the Host Environment on Mycobacterial Fitness and Drug Efficacy
Elise Lamont, Ph.D.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Minnesota
DETAILS:
Thursday, June 3rd, 2021
9:15am-10:15am
To Zoom in, please use this link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/88952313551
ABSTRACT:
Despite its ancient origins, tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death for a single infectious bacterium earning it the name the ‘Captain of all these men of death.’ Approximately, one-quarter of the world’s population is latently infected with the causative agent of TB, M. tuberculosis, and represents the largest reservoir for disease reactivation. TB exists as a spectrum of disease and represents multiple manifestations with diverse outcomes. Disease outcome, including the suppression and replication of M. tuberculosis as well as drug efficacy, is influenced by differences in the lung microenvironment and host response. Critical host factors that enhance the sterilization of M. tuberculosis and antitubercular drug activity are incompletely understood. This seminar will focus on three investigations delving into the host contribution to the TB disease spectrum: 1) oxidative burst in pyrazinamide (PZA) activity, 2) potentiation of PZA by vitamin C, and 3) the lung microbiome in control of M. tb replication. The overall goal of these projects is to harness the immune system and lung microbiome as adjunctive therapies to tuberculosis drug regimens.
BIOGRAPHY:
Elise Lamont, Ph.D.is a research associate within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She has over 13 years of research focused on pathogenic mycobacteria, which includes 18 peer-reviewed publications, 2 book chapters, and 1 patent. She received her Ph.D. at the College of Veterinary Medicine (UMN) investigating Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis-host interactions. She received the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship and National Institutes of Health Supplemental Award to transition her focus to M. tuberculosis and antitubercular drug resistance and susceptibility. Dr. Lamont’s independent research centers on a new frontier in the tuberculosis field—the contribution of the lung microbiome to tuberculosis resistance, susceptibility, and progression. She has received the Eppley Foundation for Research Grant to pursue these studies using a novel dirty mouse model.
For more information, please contact:
Prof. Michele Nishiguchi at nish@ucmerced.edu
