Members of the Whelan lab celebrating Charlie Rice’s recent Nobel Prize. 
Professor Emeritus Sondra Schlesinger at the Brennecke Symposium on May 12th 2022. 
Celebrating Dan Goldberg being elected to the National Academy of Sciences. 
The business department kicks back at the 2022 summer picnic. 
Dr Pike Dr Hanson Dr. Doering – Investments in basic science are fundamental to biomedical discovery. New endowed professors in basic science. 
Henry Huang, PhD, admires and judges pumpkins that medical students carved during the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on October 26, 2020. 
UTI treatment reduces E. coli, may offer alternative to antibiotics – Treatment with molecular decoy may lessen recurrent infections, mouse study shows – An E. coli bacterium (above, in gold) attaches to and invades cells lining the inner surface of the bladder. UTIs are among the most common infections, and they tend to recur. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a molecular decoy that reduces the number of UTI-causing gut bacteria. This compound potentially could lower the chance of repeat UTIs. 
Researchers find innovative ways to combat world’s deadliest bacteria – Shabaana Khader, PhD, (seated) discusses the results of a recent experiment with graduate student Nicole Howard. The two have published a paper showing that the same mutation that gives TB bacteria drug resistance also elicits a weaker immune response. 
Carolina Lopez, PhD, and graduate student Lavinia Gonzalez talk about ongoing research in the lab. Lopez, a BJC Investigator in molecular microbiology, studies the relationship between a virus and organism it infects. 
David Sibley, Ph.D., professor of molecular microbiology, talks in his lab postdoctoral fellows Alex Rosenberg, left, and Josh Radke about treatment for common cause of diarrhea more promising-Intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium successfully grown in lab using new technique 
Christina Stallings, PhD, and research technician Sthefany Chavez look over plates and resazurin in her lab to find innovative ways to combat world’s deadliest bacteria. 
David Wang, PhD, and PhD student Luis Sandoval look at plates in his lab studying viruses in the gut to learn more about their impart on health and disease. 
Sean Whelan, PhD, and instructor Louis-Marie Bloyet examine cellular assays with visiting researcher Michael Tartell and visiting researcher Paul Rothlauf examine cellular assays while researching a vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus. 
Visiting researcher Ana Maria Murta Santi talks with Stephen Beverley, PhD, about some results. Beverley is the former head of molecular microbiology and has spent most of his career studying leishmaniasis. Once thought to be asexual, single-celled parasites caught in the act – Studying Leishmania parasites’ offspring could lead to improved treatment for deadly infections.
“Microbiology remains a key discipline of modern biomedical science. Apart from causing infectious diseases, microbes and microbial communities play critical roles in human health and evolution. The domestication of microbes for medical and scientific purposes promises to have a profound impact on health and medicine. These topics are well-represented throughout the Washington University community, and I view the Department of Molecular Microbiology as providing a central home for the broader Washington University microbiology community”
Sean Whelan, PhD
Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor
Department Head
Meet our faculty
Stephen Beverley, PhD
Ernest St John Simms Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-747-2630
- Email: stephen.beverley@wustl.edu
Research Interests:
The Beverley lab studies the molecular genetics and genomics of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major, including virulence in the insect and mammalian hosts, and strategies for control.
Michael Caparon, PhD
Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-362-1485
- Email: caparon@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
Pathogenesis of infections caused by Gram positive bacteria. Gene regulation and mechanisms of toxin secretion by Group A streptococci.
Siyuan Ding, PhD
Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-273-3963
- Email: siyuan.ding@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
Molecular mechanisms of rotavirus replication and pathogenesis; Virus-host interactions; Innate immune signaling in the intestinal epithelium.
Tamara L. Doering, MD, PhD
Alumni Endowed Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-747-5597
- Email: doering@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
The pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, using biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and genomic approaches to elucidate its fascinating biology and pathogenesis.
Mario F. Feldman, PhD
Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-747-4473
- Email: mariofeldman@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
My lab is focused in microbial glycobiology and its exploitation for vaccine development. We also work on outer membrane vesicles (OMV) biogenesis. We have a particular interest in Acinetobacter baumannii virulence and survival mechanisms.
Henry Huang, PhD
Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-362-2755
- Email: huang@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
RNA virus evolution. Molecular biology of alphaviruses. Alphavirus gene expression vectors. Antiviral drug design.
Scott Hultgren, PhD
Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-362-6772
- Email: hultgren@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
Our lab blends genetic, genomic, imaging, structural, biochemical, clinical and translational strategies to study the interface between a pathogen and its host.
Usheer Kanjee, PhD
Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology
Research Interests:
The Kanjee lab is interested in understanding the molecular basis of malaria parasite interactions with host red blood cells that underlie infection and pathogenesis. We apply genetic, biochemical and cell biology approaches to uncover novel host/parasite interactions that could be future targets for therapeutic intervention.
Sebla Kutluay, PhD
Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology
- Phone: 314-747-8908
- Email: kutluay@wustl.edu
Research Interest:
Regulation of human immunodeficiency virus replication by viral and host RNA-binding proteins.
Michele LeRoux, PhD
Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology
Research Interest:
The LeRoux lab studies mechanisms by which bacteria defend themselves from their viral predators, bacteriophage, in the organisms Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
News
Viruses found hiding in lungs’ immune cells long after initial illness (Links to an external site)
WashU Medicine leads two major pandemic preparedness research projects (Links to an external site)
Newly ID’d enzyme helps pathogenic fungus build protective cell wall (Links to an external site)
Christina Stallings named 2024 Dean’s Impact Award Recipient (Links to an external site)
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