Dr. Camilli's work focuses on how cholera bacteria and pneumonia bacteria gain virulence in the human body. He was a pioneer in the development of methods to determine how bacteria act within an infected host and is working to understand more about how bacteria behave and regulate their gene expression within the body. He, along with his team, are recognized for discovering that the bacterium that cause cholera gain momentum and strength while passing through the digestive tract, potentially solving a long-standing medical mystery on the virulence of the disease.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute appoints new investigators approximately every three years through a national competition. The 43 new scientists will join 298 current HHMI investigators at more than 60 institutions around the country.
"I'm working to understand the basic mechanisms of how bacterial pathogens cause disease. If we can understand how pathogens travel and present themselves within the body, we are a step closer to the development of more effective vaccines and antibiotics," said Camilli. "Diarrheal diseases and pneumonia are worldwide threats and these two bacterial pathogens are emblematic of numerous other pathogens. Unraveling these mysteries may help to understand other pathogens in addition to bringing us closer to controlling cholera and pneumonia."
"One of the biggest challenges facing medicine here and around the world is better understanding and treatment of infectious diseases," said Michael Rosenblatt, dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine. "Dr. Camilli, and his colleagues in the department of molecular biology and microbiology at the Sackler School of Graduate Medical Sciences at the School of Medicine at Tufts have distinguished themselves in this critical work and we are honored to be recognized by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute." Dr. Camilli's research contributes to the body of knowledge that will help eradicate or fully control diseases that plague us."
Ralph Isberg, PhD, and Matthew Waldor, MD, PhD, both faculty members at the Tufts University School of Medicine in the department of molecular biology and microbiology, are also HHMI investigators in the field of infectious diseases. Dr. Isberg's research focuses on how bacteria enter and grow within cells, while Dr. Waldor's work investigates the evolution of bacterial pathogens.
For more information about the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and detailed information about Dr. Camilli's research work, please go to http://pressroom.hhmi.org.
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine is renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, special combined-degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations; as well as its basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the school is affiliated with four major teaching hospitals and over 30 health care facilities. The Sackler School undertakes research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its impact on the advancement of medical science.