Colleen Eade

Bacterial Polysaccharides

In collaboration with the Troutman lab, my work seeks to characterize the complexity of bacterial polysaccharide synthesis.  Using interdisciplinary approaches, we hope to develop new methods to detect and target bacteria based on their presentation of unique surface sugars.  Additionally, these same tools can inform our understanding of bacterial homeostasis and virulence, and provide novel tools to monitor and manipulate bacterial polysaccharides.

Salmonella Virulence

Bacterial pathogenicity evolved intricate regulatory pathways to finely tune virulence induction. My research examines genetic control of virulence in non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, a common culprit of foodborne illness. I am interested in defining signaling pathways that regulate virulence genes, and identifying molecular inhibitors of those pathways.