Dr. Jan Dahl

Research Interests & Areas

My lab is broadly interested in developing a better understanding of how bacteria respond to stress, particularly oxidative stress. We use a combination of genetic, biochemical, and microbiological methods to study redox-regulated stress defense strategies in gram-negative pathogens. Our goal is to determine the role of these processes in host defense and to identify potential novel drug targets. Targeting players involved in these processes has the potential to increase the susceptibility of the pathogens to immune defense and thus could make clearance by the innate immune system more efficient. The Review of Antimicrobial Resistance projected in 2016 that by 2050 more people will die from multi-resistant superbugs than from cancer. Therefore, our long-term goal is to make significant contribution to the attempt to reduce the likelihood of bacterial infections.