Jessica Tung

Program: Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Current advisor: Drew Schwartz, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: University of Texas-Arlington, 2019

Enrollment year: 2021

Research summary
Interrogating the microbiome-host interface preceding sepsis in pre-term neonates.

In the Schwartz lab, I study the microbiome-host interface preceding sepsis in preterm neonates using a combination of sequencing, immune profiling, and computational analyses of clinical cohorts. Additionally, we use a neonatal microbiome-humanized mouse model to interrogate the gut microbiome, host immune, and epithelial mechanisms of bacteremic and culture-negative sepsis. By treating colonized pups with antibiotics, we can use this model to probe the gut microbiome-host immune interface to understand how the immune system develops in the context of an individual’s microbiome.

Graduate publications