Kyle Allison, Ph.D.*

DSB Fellow

Department Systems Biology

Columbia University

Engineering Approaches to Persistent Bacteria

ABSTRACT

Antibiotics, which initiated the field of chemotherapy, have transformed human health and support nearly every branch of medicine. Challenges like antibiotic tolerance, genetic antibiotic resistance, and off-target drug toxicity demonstrate that current therapies are imperfect and that optimization of existing drugs is critical. My research has focused on reverse engineering drug tolerance and developing novel antibacterial approaches. In my symposium, I will discuss two representative projects focusing on persistent bacteria, a form of phenotypic heterogeneity in which a subpopulation of cells are highly tolerant to antibiotic treatment despite lacking genetic resistance mechanisms. The first project was the development of a metabolite-based approach to eradicate antibiotic persistent bacteria using aminoglycoside antibiotics. The second project utilized large-field microscopy to study the single-cell dynamics of persistent bacteria. Overall, my research uses systems approaches to understand and optimize antibiotic chemical biology, and will be extended to additional forms of chemotherapy. 

Host: Andres Garcia, Ph.D.

Tuesday, February 28

10:30 a.m.

McIntire Room 3115,

Whitaker Bldg.

Videoconference:

Emory: HSRB E182

Georgia Tech: TEP 104