Summary
Professional Biography
- 2017 - present - Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
- 2016 - 2017 - Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama, College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, USA
- 2008 - 2016- Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama, College of Medicine, Mobile, AL, USA
- 2003 - 2008 - Visiting Fellow, Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
- 2002 - 2003 - Postdoctoral Associate, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
Research Interests
Research in the Burtnick laboratory is focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms used by Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei to persist within eukaryotic cells. Specifically, we are interested in determining how the virulence-associated secretion systems expressed by these facultative intracellular pathogens facilitate their survival and replication within a variety of human and murine cell types. Our laboratory has over 18 years of experience working with pathogenic Burkholderia species and has significant expertise in areas relating to bacterial genetics, pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, vaccine antigen discovery and immune assay development. The main objective of our research is to use the information gained from host-pathogen interaction studies to identify antigens that can be used to develop novel vaccines, diagnostics and immune assays to combat the diseases caused by these important bacterial pathogens.
Current Lab Members
- Sineenart Sengyee, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor
- Federico Urbano-Munoz, Staff Research Associate III
- Jacob Loughry, Staff Research Associate II
- Sarah Weiby, CMB Graduate Student
Past Lab Members
- Teresa Shaffer Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
- Lindsey Schmidt, Ph.D., Graduate Student
- Caitlyn Orne, Ph.D.
Education
2002: Ph.D., Bacterial Pathogenesis, University of Calgary, Canada
1994: B.Sc., Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada