John-Demian (JD) Sauer
Credentials: Medical Microbiology & Immunology Department
Position title: Host-pathogen interactions
Email: sauer3@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 263-1529
Address:
4203 Microbial Sciences Building
1550 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
LAB WEBSITE:
https://mmi.wisc.edu/staff/sauer-john-demian-jd/
FOCUS GROUPS:
Molecular & Genome Biology of Microbes; Immunology
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
My lab is actively involved in understanding the complex interactions between bacterial pathogens and their hosts during infection. We predominantly use Listeria monocytogenes and less frequently Staphylococcus aureus in murine, zebrafish and tissue culture infection models to identify novel virulence determinants. From the host perspective we also study the mechanisms by which bacterial infections are recognized by the innate immune system and how innate recognition drives adaptive immunity. To perform these studies we use a variety of genetic tools in both the pathogen and the host(s) to take both unbiased, genetic screen approaches, as well as more traditional reverse genetics approaches to understanding host-pathogen interactions. From a translational perspective, we are applying what we learn from basic pathogenesis and immunity studies to develop novel antibiotics and advance L. monocytogenes as an immunotherapeutic platform, respectively.
ALSO A TRAINER IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: Microbiology (MDTP), Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP), Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBMS), Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (MCP)