UM
Mycobacterial Resistance and Prophage Dynamics Lab
Sally Molloy · Orono, Maine
University of Maine · Biochemistry
Research focus
Dr. Sally Molloy's lab at the University of Maine focuses on understanding how certain viruses, known as prophages, help mycobacteria resist antibiotics. This research is important because infections caused by drug-resistant mycobacteria present a major public health challenge. By investigating the mechanisms that these prophages use to alter gene expression and enhance bacterial survival, the lab aims to provide insights that could improve treatment options for resistant infections.
mycobacterial resistanceprophageantibiotic resistancetoxinsgene expressionphage therapypathogen interactiondrug resistance
Research aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of prophages in mycobacterial antibiotic resistance.
AIM 02Characterize the expression patterns and secretion mechanisms of prophage-encoded toxins.
AIM 03Examine how toxin proteins affect lytic phage infection in mycobacteria.
AIM 04Assess the interaction between prophage toxins and antibiotic resistance genes.
AIM 05Explore potential therapeutic applications stemming from prophage interactions.
Skills the lab values
PCRcell cultureWestern blottingfluorescence microscopygenetic transcription analysiscoculture techniquespathogen modelingdata analysis in microbiology
Output against the department
34publicationsbottom 3% of the department390th of 402
most publishedleast published
784citationsbottom 2% of the department393rd of 402
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. Position on each rail is this lab's rank, not its distance from the top: a department runs from one paper to tens of thousands, so rank is the only comparison that stays readable across it.