Vanderbilt University · BiologyAspergillus Pathogen Research Lab
Antonis Rokas · Nashville, Tennessee
Research Focus
Dr. Antonis Rokas' lab at Vanderbilt University focuses on understanding why some species of the Aspergillus fungus cause disease while closely related species do not. They explore the genetic traits that contribute to the pathogenicity of Aspergillus fumigatus, a major human pathogen, by examining both the environmental and biological factors that influence fungal virulence. This research aims to shed light on the evolution of fungal pathogens and improve strategies for combating infections.
Aspergillusfungal pathogenicitygenomic traitsevolutionary biologyvirulencesecondary metabolitesmycologypathogen emergencegenetic variationpathogenic fungi
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the variation in pathogenicity traits among Aspergillus species
AIM 02Analyze genomic differences linked to pathogenicity
AIM 03Identify genetic elements contributing to the evolution of fungal pathogens
Skills the Lab Values
PCRgenome sequencingtranscriptomic analysiscell culturemicroscopybioinformaticsdata analysisstrain characterizationgene expression studiesvirulence assays
Output against the department
Publications536top 7% of dept.72nd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations31ktop 11% of dept.110th of 1,033
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.