University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Microbiology & ImmunologyConlon Lab
Brian Patrick Conlon · Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Brian Conlon's lab at the University of North Carolina focuses on understanding how diabetes affects antibiotic resistance in bacterial infections, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The team is investigating the role of glucose in fostering antibiotic tolerance and resistance in these bacteria, as well as exploring the immune protein calprotectin's surprising ability to inactivate key antibiotics. Their research holds important implications for improving treatments for infections in diabetic patients.
diabetesantibiotic resistanceStaphylococcus aureuscalprotectinskin infectionsglucose metabolismbeta-lactam antibioticsimmune responseinfection treatment
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how excess glucose alters Staphylococcus aureus metabolism to drive antibiotic resistance.
AIM 02Understand how diabetes affects the immune response and antibiotic tolerance during infections.
AIM 03Characterize the enzymatic activity of calprotectin and its impact on antibiotic efficacy in vivo.
Skills the Lab Values
animal modelsmicrobial geneticsbacteriology techniquesin vivo infection studiesantibiotic susceptibility testingenzyme kineticsbiochemical assaysmolecular cloningcrystallographyimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications70bottom 21% of dept.383rd of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.5kbottom 47% of dept.259th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.