Inactivation of pathogens on food and contact surfaces using ozone as a biocidal agent

This study focuses on the inactivation of a range of food borne pathogens using ozone as a biocidal agent. Experiments were carried out using Campylobacter jejuni, E. coli and Salmonella enteritidis in which population size effects and different treatment temperatures were investigate

Tumor microenvironment models: ex vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches to address targeted therapies

"Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, despite the extraordinary advances in the last two decades due to the development of targeted therapies. These target particular molecules required for cell growth and tumorigenesis; nonetheless, de novo or acquired resistance to therapy often lead to patient relapse and disease progression. There is cumulating evidence supporting the importance of tumor microenvironment (TME)-driven mechanisms in cancer progression and drug resistance. Therefore, there is a need for cancer models in which critical components of the TME, such as the non-malignant cell types and the extracellular matrix (ECM), are represented and tissue architecture is maintained. (...)"N/

Transciptome Analysis Illuminates the Nature of the Intracellular Interaction in a Vertebrate-Algal Symbiosis

During embryonic development, cells of the green alga Oophila amblystomatis enter cells of the salamander Ambystoma maculatum forming an endosymbiosis. Here, using de novo dual-RNA seq, we compared the host salamander cells that harbored intracellular algae to those without algae and the algae inside the animal cells to those in the egg capsule. This two-by-two-way analysis revealed that intracellular algae exhibit hallmarks of cellular stress and undergo a striking metabolic shift from oxidative metabolism to fermentation. Culturing experiments with the alga showed that host glutamine may be utilized by the algal endosymbiont as a primary nitrogen source. Transcriptional changes in salamander cells suggest an innate immune response to the alga, with potential attenuation of NF-κB, and metabolic alterations indicative of modulation of insulin sensitivity. In stark contrast to its algal endosymbiont, the salamander cells did not exhibit major stress responses, suggesting that the host cell experience is neutral or beneficial

Mycobacterium tuberculosis aggregates affect the early macrophage response to infection and are detectable in human lung tissue

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can infect macrophages as single or aggregated bacilli, where aggregate infection of macrophages was shown to have a substantially higher probability to result in macrophage death. Given that the response of macrophages to Mtb infection may determine the infection trajectory, it is important to understand the macrophage response to infection with Mtb aggregates. Here I investigated the early transcriptional response of monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) to Mtb aggregate infection. I found that Mtb aggregates elicited the highest TNF-α and pro-inflammatory response relative to single Mtb bacilli. Additionally, aggregate-mediated MDM death was dependent on infection with live Mtb aggregates. I also investigated macrophage acidification in response to infection with Mtb aggregates and found that acidification, per Mtb bacillus, decreased as aggregate size increased. This suggests that Mtb aggregates have an advantage over single bacilli due to a weaker host response per mycobacterium. I also quantified Mtb aggregate number in human lung tissue sections using custom digital image analysis pipelines and developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, HyRoNet, to automate and expand the analysis. I found that Mtb aggregates occurred often, but not exclusively, in association with the granulomatous cavity surface. Together, these observations suggest a potentially important role for Mtb aggregation in the pathogenesis of Mtb