Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: Jonas Cremer (Biology)

“Quantitatively Determining Lambda Phage Infection Cycle Dependencies on E. coli Physiology"

Bacteriophages are viruses that utilize bacterial-host resources to reproduce. The molecular biology of the E. coli phage lambda has been well studied. However, much less is known about how the host physiology (volume, growth, surface area) affects phage replication. Elucidation of these host-phage dependencies will yield insights into understanding the ecological dynamics of phages and improve phage therapeutic strategies. Ann’s project will focus on quantitatively determining how phage infection mechanisms are dependent on host physiology. She will perturb host physiology with genetic engineering and measure altered phage infection stages, utilizing a new high-throughput method of quantifying phages.