Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic fungus responsible for serious opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. My lab studies unique aspects of cryptococcal biology that are of biological interest and may suggest targets for badly needed antifungal chemotherapy. Two areas of interest involve key polysaccharide structures of this pathogen: the capsule that is a major virulence factor of C. neoformans and the complex cell wall that maintains cell integrity. We are also studying the intracellular transport of sterols and other lipids, an area of great relevance to current antifungal drugs, and how cryptococcal cells disseminate during infection.

In our studies we apply approaches and methodology drawn from biochemistry, genetics, and molecular and cell biology. We take advantage of sequence information, strain engineering, sophisticated microscopy, and animal models, in experiments that range from genetic screens and enzyme assays to live cell imaging and small molecule testing. These approaches allow us to address questions of importance to basic science and fungal pathogenesis, with the goals of increasing fundamental knowledge and improving human health.

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