Antimicrobial Resistance
The clinical utility of antibiotics is threatened by the emergence of resistance in pathogens. We seek to establish strategies that effectively evade the evolution of antibiotic resistance. We are approaching this from multiple angles, including studying antibiotics that are durable to resistance development and developing antibiotic cocktails to suppress resistance. See publications here for more information.
Bacterial Communication
SubTap: An in-house developed 3D printed microwell plate to harvest the bacterial exometabolome.
Microbial interactions are governed by an immense variety of small molecules. These molecules serve many roles, from impeding the growth of competitors to modifying the surrounding environment. We are identifying new molecules and their functional roles with the goal of decoding how microorganisms interact and compete for survival.
Our lab created the SubTap, a 3D printed platform, for eavesdropping on microbial interactions and facilitating the discovery of new molecules in high-throughput. See here and here for more information.
Electronic Health Record Mining
The curation of health data electronically promises to offer new insights into the relationship between treatments and outcomes. We are mining large electronic health record datasets to inform antibiotic prescribing. We are particularly interested in determining treatment strategies that counteract antibiotic resistance, minimize side effects, and maximize treatment success.
Bioinformatics
The Wright Lab is the home of the DECIPHER software for deciphering biological sequences and SynExtend software for comparative genomics. This encompasses several popular programs:
- DECIPHER – curate, analyze, and manipulate biological sequences.
- IDTAXA – taxonomic or functional classification of sequences.
- TreeLine – build accurate phylogenetic trees.
- FindGenes – identify genes in a microbial genome.
- Clusterize – cluster a large number of sequences efficiently.
- DetectRepeats – find new and ancient repeats in sequences.
- SynExtend – compare and analyze multiple genomes.
- EvoWeaver – infer groups of interacting genes.
Contact Us
eswright@pitt.edu
437 Bridgeside Point II
450 Technology Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15219