News
Xavier and Deguine Map How Gut Neurons Respond to Microbiota
October 30, 2025
Reported in Science, the Xavier and Deguine labs used single cell RNA profiling and in vivo genetic perturbation (Pertub-seq) to create a highly detailed atlas of how the enteric nervous system responds to microbial cues and immune signals. The findings yield new insights into the intersection between neuro-immune-microbe interactions and gut physiology and provide a foundational resource for future research into the role of the enteric nervous system in health and disease.
Congratulations, Emily Balskus!
October 16, 2025
The Texas A&M Section of the American Chemical Society and the Department of Chemistry of Texas A&M University named Emily Balskus the 2025 A. Ian Scott Medal Recipient. This award recognizes excellence in biological chemistry research.
Congratulations, Ann Woolley!
October 2, 2025
New England Donor Services (NEDS) announces Dr. Ann Woolley as the organization’s next Chief Medical Officer, commencing 2026. Dr. Woolley currently serves as the Clinical Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as an NEDS Medical Director, bringing deep expertise and vision to her new role as CMO of NEDS.
Congratulations, Laura Kiessling!
August 15, 2025
The Society for Glycobiology awarded Laura Kiessling with the 2025 Karl Meyer Lectureship. This international award recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of glycobiology.
Congratulations, Yonatan!
April 18, 2025
2025 began with a celebration of Yonatan Grad’s tenure appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Congratulations, Yonatan!
Helaine Lab develops tool to track bacterial persisters
October 7, 2024
Reported in PNAS, the Helaine Lab has developed a novel “genomic recorder” called pSCRATCH to map the fate of growth-arrested Salmonella persisters. Tracking bacterial persisters will enable us to discriminate how antibacterial treatment failure and relapsing infections might originate from bacterial persistence or resistance.
Hung Lab reveals new host pathway promoting survival during systemic infection
August 9, 2024
In a whole organism screen for anti-infectives in zebrafish, reported in Nature Chemical Biology, the Hung Lab identified a tryptophan metabolite, 3-hydroxykynurenine, that acts systemically to restrict bacterial expansion in macrophages, revealing a novel intersection between tryptophan metabolism and kainate-sensitive glutamate receptors in host immunity.
Congratulations, Jonathan Abraham!
July 23, 2024
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute names Jonathan Abraham in its new class of HHMI investigators. The designation recognizes the CISID Founding Faculty member for his groundbreaking research and provides support for continued cutting edge research. Congratulations!
Congratulations, Erin Chen!
July 17, 2024
A belated kudos to CISID Founding Faculty member, Erin Chen, who has been selected as a 2024 Searle Scholar. The award recognizes outstanding young faculty in pursuing ground-breaking research in chemistry and biomedical sciences.
Smillie Lab uncovers bacterial diversity associated with gut inflammation
June 24, 2024
The Smillie Lab identifies bacterial strains associated with inflammatory bowel disease and gut inflammation. Read here about the study published in Cell Host & Microbe.
