University of Maryland-College Park · BiologyThe PneumoGuard Lab
Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe · College Park, Maryland
Research Focus
Dr. Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe's research lab focuses on combating infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a leading cause of pneumonia, particularly among children and the elderly. The lab is exploring the use of bacteriophage endolysins, which are enzymes that can destroy bacterial cells and their biofilms. This innovative approach aims to not only treat infections more effectively but also to enhance the body's immune response against re-colonization by these bacteria. Overall, the lab seeks to develop a new type of therapeutic agent and vaccine that can provide broader protection against pneumococcal disease.
endolysinsStreptococcus pneumoniaebacteriophagesbiofilmspneumoniaantimicrobial resistanceprotective immunityserotype-independentimmunologytherapeutics
Research Aims
3AIM 01Evaluate the effectiveness of endolysins as anti-biofilm agents against pneumococcal infections.
AIM 02Assess the potential of endolysins to prevent pneumococcal colonization in a serotype-independent manner.
AIM 03Investigate the role of endolysin treatment in enhancing protective immunity against Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemolecular techniquesanimal modelsimmunological assaysbiofilm characterizationproteomicstransgenic micenext generation sequencingbiochemical techniquesdata analysis using Python
Output against the department
Publications64bottom 17% of dept.858th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.6kbottom 10% of dept.926th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
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