Jessica B von Pein
Jess is a PhD student in Prof Matt Sweet's lab at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience. Her PhD project focuses on host-pathogen interactions and zinc toxicity as an innate immune antimicrobial response. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli, or UPEC, is the major cause of urinary tract infections, which is one of the most common bacterial infections globally. Due to the frequency of these infections, UPEC is a major contributor to worldwide antibiotic prescription. Antibiotic resistance is now highly prevalent, therefore new approaches to combat bacterial infections are urgently needed. Jess's PhD research project aims to understand nutritional immunity in innate immune cells and the mechanism(s) by which pathogens such as UPEC can subvert these responses to aid pathogenicity. Findings from this project may ultimately help guide the development of immune-modulating mediators as anti-infective agents for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, such as those caused by UPEC.
Abstracts this author is presenting: