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LaRock Lab

The LaRock Lab is part of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Digoxin 2019

Welcome to our Lab

Pathogens must successfully resist our formidable immune defenses to infect. This is often accomplished using virulence factors evolved for intercepting key immune targets. The LaRock laboratory uses biochemical and molecular genetic tools to examine the interaction between microbial virulence factors (eg. toxins, effectors) and host factors (eg. cytokines, antimicrobials). Our work is revealing new mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, risk factors for disease, and therapeutics for treating difficult infections.




Streptococcus Pyogenes (Group A Streptococccus) Is a Leading Human Pathogen:

(pharyngitis 'Strep throat', scarlet fever 'rossalia' 'scarlatina', pyoderma, impetigo, erysipelas 'St. Anthony's fire', cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis 'flesh-eating disease', septicemia, bacteriemia, toxic shock syndrome, Syndenham's chorea 'St. Vitus's dance', Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS), meningitis, endopthalmitis, otitis media, pneumonia, endocardititis, puerperal fever, rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, glomerulonephritis, etc)
>1,000,000,000 yearly infections
(mostly strep throat in children)
serious disease occurs in otherwise healthy people and it is a top-10 killer pathogen
(due to invasive infections worldwide, and autoimmune complications in susceptible populations and the developing world)

Studying Group A Streptococccus (Gas) is Important Because:

...we know relatively little about its pathogenesis
...we have no vaccine
...antibiotic resistance is rapidly increasing
...even against susceptible strains, antibiotics often fail
...and antibiotics for possible strep throat (~1 b/yr) contribute to resistance in other pathogens

 

Our Major Questions:

Does GAS behave differently during different infections?
Why does GAS hyperactivate the immune system?
How does GAS resist our immune defenses?
Can we disarm GAS? Without antibiotics?

 

We are Translating our Work With GAS for Insights Into:

Staphylococcus aureus (skin infection)
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumonia)
Yersinia pestis (pneumonic and bubonic plague)
endopthalmitis (eye infection)
wound and surgical site infections
rheumatoid arthritis

 

and neuroinflammation