Infectious Diseases

Our research team studies the epidemiology, microbial virulence mechanisms and host defenses against community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) colonization and disease.

Research profile

Cancer develops through accumulation of DNA mutations and structural aberrations collectively known as genome instability. Genome damage in adult-onset malignancies can be traced to exogenous carcinogens or simply the process of aging. However, pediatric cancers do not arise as a result of aging or exogenous genotoxic agents. We are interested in the etiology of genome instability in pediatric cancers and the resulting genome-protective responses — also called DNA damage responses — that are activated. Our long-term goal is to identify predictors of mutagenesis and therapeutic vulnerabilities within DNA damage response pathways in order to develop new treatment options for children with cancer.

Research profile

Work in our lab focuses on the interactions of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria with their hosts, using urinary tract infection (UTI) as our primary model. We aim to elucidate host-pathogen interactions in the urinary tract, modulation of host immune responses by uropathogenic bacteria, and the influence of sex on UTI pathogenesis.

Research profile

The COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last pandemic, as human populations will remain susceptible to newly emerging viruses. While the techniques for viral discovery have greatly expanded the number of known viral sequences, many fundamental questions regarding the biology of viruses can only be addressed through isolation and propagation of viruses in the laboratory setting.

Research profile

The Kao lab is interested in vaccine effectiveness, particularly in special populations.

Research profile

Up, down and all around. Immune cells are constantly in motion as they seek to defend the host against pathogens. Dramatic cell shape changes induced by alterations in the underlying actin cytoskeleton provide the structural framework required for cell motility.

Research profile

I am interested in the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs on the use of antimicrobials in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Many different strategies can be utilized to improve antimicrobial prescribing and it is not clear which strategies are associated with the best antimicrobial reduction and clinical outcomes. Furthermore, the best metrics to evaluate the impact of hospital-based ASPs are not clear.

Research profile

Treatments and outcomes of bone and joint infection in children.

Research profile

We utilize a combination of hypothesis-driven and discovery-based approaches to understand factors that regulate host immune responses to infectious and sterile triggers of severe inflammation. We focus on the cytoplasmic recycling pathway of autophagy, which we found protected macrophages against cytokine-induced cell death and mice against fatal cytokine storm syndrome. However, the relative protective or pathogenic role of autophagy in macrophage survival remains unclear in different contexts. Preliminary findings point towards a critical intersection of these processes with immunometabolism. We are leveraging this experience and developing novel tools to understand the commonalities and peculiarities of cytokine storm syndromes triggered by various etiologies including SARS-CoV-2. The ultimate goal is to develop host-directed therapies for infectious and inflammatory disorders.

Research profile

Our lab focuses on the pathogenesis of Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) — an opportunistic pathogen that is increasingly becoming multidrug resistant. As a result, resistant Kp is deemed “urgent” by the CDC and a “priority pathogen” by the World Health Organization.

Research profile