Mentor Areas
The goals of the Abt lab are to examine interactions between the microbiota and the immune system in the context of infectious disease. The microbiome, consisting of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa, can modulate immune defense pathways thereby altering host susceptibility to infection. The lab’s research fuses the disciplines of mucosal immunology, microbial pathogenesis and microbial ecology to investigate mechanisms of immune homeostasis and protective immunity. Our research focuses on the pathogenesis of and host response to Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that infects the large intestine following perturbation of the intestinal microbiota. C. difficile is the first disease effectively treated with microbiota-based therapeutics, however, implementation of this therapy as a reliable treatment option is limited due to inadequate understanding of its mechanism of action. Our research investigates immune-microbiota regulation of C. difficile associated disease.
Description:
The project will assess the expression of C. difficile virulence factor following infection and fecal microbiota transplantation. Fecal samples will be collected at different stages of infection and bacterial RNA isolated for qPCR analysis of C. difficile specific virulence genes. Responsibilities will include managing mouse experiments, maintenance of anaerobic chamber and data analysis. This project is ongoing through summer and the academic year.
Preferred Qualifications
Background in general molecular biology and prior experience with RNA isolation and PCR are preferred. Student must have a willingness to learn!
Project Website
Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here. Abt Lab
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.