| Affiliations: | Genetics & Genomics Research Leadership |
| Project Leader: | Stephanie McMahon
stephmcm@tamu.edu Veterinary Pathobiology |
| Faculty Mentor: | Jessica Galloway-Pena, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBA |
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Team Size:
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4
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Earn co-authorship on at least one paper, have data to present at undergraduate research presentation opportunities, work towards becoming an undergrad member of the lab, potentially attend local conferences (College Station or Houston)
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Team Needs:
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Basic biology background, at least one hands-on lab course (with a grade of a B or higher), at least 6 hours of time to dedicate to lab work, any coding/R knowledge is a bonus and highly sought out, best to understand things such as PCR and basic bacteria information (gram stain, aerobic vs anaerobic, streaking a plate) |
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Description:
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My project goal is to utilize metagenomics and microbiome studies to inform a patient’s treatment plan and decrease susceptibility to infection, specifically by Staphylococcus epidermidis. S. epidermidis has been shown to account for 20% of bloodstream infections in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and is emerging as a pathogen representing an unstable microbiome. The overall objective of this proposal is to garner a better understanding of the competitive mechanisms bacteria in the microbiome use to prevent opportunistic infection to potentially develop therapeutic targets. Additionally, I will adopt mouse models to better understand how specific antibiotics, in tandem with chemotherapy, perturbate the gut microbiome and influence the translocation of S. epidermidis leading to subsequent sepsis. Ultimately, I hypothesize that the susceptibility to S. epidermidis infection can be mediated by microbes present in a patient’s GI tract, as well as by regimens of antibiotics in the presence of chemotherapy. |