Dr. Jon T Skare's lab focuses on Lyme disease, specifically how the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes the disease, establishes and maintains infections. The research investigates a regulatory protein called BosR that helps the bacteria adapt to different environments during infection. By understanding BosR's role in regulating gene expression, the lab aims to uncover new strategies for preventing and treating Lyme disease.

Dr. Jeffrey D. Cirillo's lab at Texas A&M University specializes in understanding tuberculosis (TB) and improving vaccines against this disease. They study the BCG vaccine's variability in effectiveness and develop advanced imaging techniques to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in real-time. Through animal models and human studies, they aim to correlate immune responses with vaccine efficacy and create innovative ways to monitor TB infections and assess new treatments more quickly.