George Washington University · Microbiology & ImmunologyParsek Lab
Matthew R. Parsek · Washington, District of Columbia
Research Focus
Dr. Matthew R. Parsek's lab at the University of Washington studies how bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa form biofilms and establish infections. They specifically investigate how different internal signals affect the bacteria's ability to stick to surfaces and communicate with each other. Understanding these processes can help develop new therapies for managing infections.
Pseudomonas aeruginosabiofilmsexopolysaccharidessignal transductionpathogenesissurface sensingc-di-GMPcAMPbacterial communication
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how environmental factors influence the signaling responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AIM 02Characterize the molecular mechanisms by which c-di-GMP and cAMP signaling pathways interact.
AIM 03Examine the role of the Cpx system in bacterial surface responses and biofilm fitness.
AIM 04Explore the chemical modifications of exopolysaccharides and their impact on biofilm structure.
AIM 05Dissect the biological consequences of the distribution of exopolysaccharides within biofilms.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemolecular cloningmicroscopygenetic screeningPCRbioinformaticsWestern blottingflow cytometry
Output against the department
Publications232top 27% of dept.130th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations38ktop 6% of dept.31st 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.