University of Mass
The lab is focused on understanding the physiology of the mycobacterial cell, the interactions between host and pathogen, and how these fundamental biological processes influence pathogenesis and antibiotic efficacy.
Hardy Kornfeld
Professor of Medicine
UMass Chan Medical School
Dr. Kornfeld is a physician-scientist with subspecialty training in infectious diseases, pulmonary, and critical care medicine. His research interests include the mechanisms of immune pathology and resolution causing pulmonary impairment in TB survivors, the impact of host factors such as diabetes and undernutrition on respiratory outcomes, and the discovery of host-directed therapies to mitigate post-TB lung disease.
Dr. Kornfeld is the Co-Investigator on Project 1 – Bacterial and host determinants of progression, manifestations and consequences of TB
Christopher Sassetti
Professor of Microbiology & Physiological Systems
UMass Chan Medical School
Dr. Sassetti is an expert in mycobacterial genetics and physiology, with a particular interest in understanding the basis of antibiotic efficacy. His group has developed a number of genetic methods for Mtb, such as transposon mutagenesis, “TNseq”, and efficient phage recombinase-based methods of genome engineering. Through the application of these approaches, Dr. Sassetti’s lab has globally defined the essential functions of Mtb that can be targeted by drugs and elucidated mechanisms of both inducible antibiotic tolerance and heritable resistance.
Dr. Sassetti is the Lead Investigator on Project 3 – Minimizing in vivo Drug Tolerance induction in tuberculosis