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Faculty Profile Last Modified Time: 01:11:03 PM Mon, 23 Jul 2018   Contact Information Natasha Kirienko Associated Profiles  Associate Professor, BioSciences, Rice University   George R. Brown Hall, Room No.: W200N    kirienko@rice.edu     713-348-2581    Web Link    Lab Webpage    Bacterial Infection, Antimicrobial Resistance, Bacteria, C. Elegans, Virulence, Mitophagy, Autophagy, Cancer    Associated Profiles Professional Preparation Research and Expertise Affiliations Appointments  Professional Preparation  Degree Major Institution Year  PhD Molecular Biology University of Wyoming 2009  MS Biology Southern Federal University 2004  BS Biochemistry Southern Federal University 2002  Research and Expertise Research Interests   Research in my lab currently focuses on two interrelated topics. The first of these goals is to identify novel treatments for bacterial infections that exhibit resistance to antimicrobials. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria cause over 1.5 million nosocomial infections per year, and over 100,000 deaths. As antimicrobial misuse continues at a virtually unchecked pace, resistance has flourished, making new treatments desperately needed. We've developed a liquid-based, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection assay that utilizes the master virulence factor pyoverdin for pathogenesis. Using this assay, we've identified small molecules that inhibit P. aeruginosa virulence or that promote innate immune activation. Research within the past twenty years has increasingly demonstrated that innate immunity plays a crucial role in priming the adaptive immune response and in mitigating the earliest sequelae of infection. We have recently begun to study the importance of mitophagy (autophagic destruction of mitochondria) in cancer as well. Much contradictory evidence exists in the scientific literature suggesting that autophagy in general (and mitophagy in particular) may have pro-oncogenic effects (e.g., promoting organellar and protein complex recycling and efficient use of cellular energy reserves) and also anti-tumorigenic effects (e.g., mutation or loss of much of the autophagic and mitophagic machinery of the cell, or their regulators are strongly associated with increased cancer prevalence). We will utilize the C. elegans and human cells to gain an understanding of the relevance of mitophagy in tumor initiation and progression. This research effort will harness the particularly deep knowledge base of C. elegans cell cycle events that has been amassed by researchers across the globe over the past thirty years and leverage the high-throughput capabilities of C. elegans assays to identify novel therapies that may help cancer patients.  Publications/Creative Works Click here to search for this faculty member's publications on PubMed.  Affiliations  Research Consortia GCC Consortium for Antimicrobial Resistance (GCC AMR)  Training Grants Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacological Scientists Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases Training Grant Antimicrobial Resistance Training Program in the Texas Medical Center (AMR-TPT)  Appointments Title Department / School Institution Associate Professor BioSciences Rice University

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