Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Chronic bacterial infections are a major health care problem. We are interested in the microbial and human immune factors that impact the pathogenesis of chronic infections and in developing novel therapeutic interventions to improve human health.
One area of active research is the human immune response to bacteria and bacteriophages. Current efforts are focused on understanding how bacteria interact with monocytes, macrophages, and other cells of the innate immune system to influence pathogen recognition and bacterial clearance. Much of this work focuses on chronic Pseudomonas skin and lung infections.
A second area of research involves investigating the contributions of bacteria and bacteriophages in the human body (the bacterial microbiome and the phageome, respectively) in health and disease. We are developing tools to characterize these populations.
A third area of active research involves bacteriophages and bacterial pathogenesis associated with the major human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We are studying how lysogenic bacteriophages contribute to the development of anti-microbial resistance and the regulation of bacterial virulence factors.
A fourth area of research are bacterial biofilms. These are communities of polymers and bacteria that colonize infected tissues. We are interested in how biofilms modulate human immunity, prevent diffusion of antibiotics, and contribute to chronic Pseudomonas skin and lung infections.
A fifth are a of research is phage therapy - the use of lytic bacteriophages to treat chronic infections. Phage therapy has outstanding potential to treat antimicrobial-resistant infections but also other diseases associated with the microbiome, including cancer, allergy, and autoimmunity. We're excited to engineer phages and phage delivery platforms to develop novel therapeutics.
A final area of investigation is the tissue extracellular matrix at sites of injury and infection, particularly the role of hyaluronan in innate immunity.
Looking for a lab?
We are actively recruiting bioengineers, molecular biologists, immunologists, and microbiologists for post-doctoral positions in the lab. If interested, please contact Dr. Bollyky at pbollyky@stanford.edu
For Stanford Undergraduates interested in joining the lab, we require a minimum commitment of a full year (including full-time work in the lab for at least one summer).
We take high school and undergraduate students through the SSRP program: https://biosciences.stanford.edu/prospective/diversity/ssrp/
