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Molecular Microbiology & Vaccinology Lab.
Research
Unlocking the complexity and immense inter-connectedness and underlying mechanisms between host and bacteria in health and diseases are the major goals of the Mellata Lab. To this end, our strategy is to study bacterial and host pathways and then investigate how these various systems function together to recapitulate the observations and measurements seen under natural conditions. The Mellata lab also studies novel technologies for the sterilization of food pathogens from complex food matrices. Have a look at some of our projects below.
Elucidating the Mechanisms of Virulence and Persistence of New and Emerging Bacteria
Human and animal health are intricately connected. Food animals, e.g. poultry and cattle, are major sources of bacteria causing human diseases. A complete understanding of the virulence and zoonosis mechanisms of bacteria is required to develop treatments and preventative measures against infections and food contamination. Our immediate research projects mainly focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of virulence and persistence of bacteria through basic research (i.e., genetic and phenotypic screenings, colonization dynamics, mobility of large virulence plasmids, etc.).