Research Interests

My research ­focuses on pathogen detection in clinical and environmental samples, and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Working in both the public and private sectors, my research teams have generated 10 patents and over 80 publications in relevant areas including TB and related diseases, oral microbiology, food- and water-borne pathogens, and respiratory diseases. These activities share a strong emphasis on translation and global health impact.

Aspects of my teams’ pathogen detection research have resulted in FDA approval and diagnostic product launches. The MicroProbe Affirm VPTM test for vaginosis, among the first multiplex molecular tests to receive FDA approval, was successfully marketed by Becton, Dickinson and Co.  A remote-controlled multiplex detection system for harmful algae blooms (HAB) has been deployed in coastal waters worldwide by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Our Molecular Viability Testing (MVT) technology was commercially licensed. In Spring 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, we helped demonstrate a novel, non-invasive SARS-CoV-2 screening method (anterior nasal swabbing). This work led directly to updated FDA guidance and global adaption of the method. Our non-invasive TB sampling methods (oral swab analysis, OSA) have been added to research studies around the world; WHO endorsement of the method for TB diagnostic use will be sought in the coming years.

In addition to this translational work, we have also investigated the epidemiology of mycobacterial diseases. Transmission and exposure are among the most poorly understood aspects of bacterial disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a globally important microbial pathogen, and related environmental mycobacteria are useful models for understanding how infectious diseases emerge and spread. Molecular and epidemiological methods are being used to characterize the host, pathogen, and environmental factors involved in the acquisition of mycobacterial infections.

Currently I lead a U.S. – South African consortium to validate novel non-invasive sampling methods as means to diagnose TB and COVID-19. In other consortia we have developed point-of-care diagnostic devices for TB. We have also conducted in research in Uganda, Bangladesh, and several US states.

Recent Publications (PubMed)

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