Bacterial vesicles and mitochondria of macrophages

Bacteria secrete vesicles that traffic toxins to mitochondria of macrophages. This project will investigate how vesicle-delivered toxins kill macrophages by focusing on host cell death factors and how this contributes to inflammation and infections. To identify host-microbe interactions, the project will use live-cell and super-resolution microscopy that are able to capture toxin-mitochondria interaction at high temporal and spatial resolution. CRISPR technology will be used to study mutant human macrophages generated from induced pluripotent stem cells. This will identify alternative treatments against increasingly difficult to manage infections.