Grant: Project Grant

During infection, pathogens such as bacteria and viruses bind to cells through interactions with molecules, known as receptors, located on the cell surface. What drives these interactions, how many molecules are involved, what pathways are activated, are other molecules recruited, and how quickly does this occur are among the key questions that need to be addressed if we want to develop therapeutics to prevent disease. In this project, we are examining the CEACAM family of receptor molecules that are hijacked by opportunistic bacteria responsible for diseases such as meningitis, gonorrhea, and pneumonia. These receptors are also implicated in diseases such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and even lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. It is believed that errant signaling of CEACAM is in part responsible for the onset and progression of these diseases. The aim of this project is to develop new ways of directly observing how bacteria hijack CEACAM molecules in live cells and tissues. Tracking how members of the CEACAM family engage with each other and most importantly, with bacteria during infection in real-time will be key to developing new therapeutic strategies for manipulating the pathways involved in infection.