Carlos Orihuela, Ph.D., will be taking sabbatical leave from Oct. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024, to study in the lab of Jan-Willem Veening, Ph.D., at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. While there, he will be giving talks at the University of Lausanne, the Pasteur Institute, the University of Geneva, and the University of Zurich. 

"Dr. Veening is an expert in molecular microbiology, and he has created a CRISPR-interference system where genes expressed by bacteria can be knocked down or totally silenced depending on their exposure to a drug that does not kill the bacterium," Orihuela explained. "While in Switzerland, I will be putting his system into strains that I am bringing from the U.S. that are capable of causing cardiac damage during invasive disease."

The goal, Orihuela added, is to bring these newly-modified strains back to the U.S., and then use them in mice to identify the bacterial genes responsible for Streptococcus pneumonia mediated cardiac damage and heart failure.

"In addition to providing my lab with access to the latest genetic technology available, this is a great opportunity for me to see how several world-class laboratories operate," Orihuela said. "Moreover, I hope to impress on them the high-quality work that we do here at UAB."