Jorge Galan, PhD, DVM
Professor and Chairman, Section of Microbial Pathogenesis

Mentee:

Thomas Scott Murray

Dr. Jorge Galan’s research interests include the functional interface between microbial pathogens and their hosts. In particular, Dr Galan’s team is examining the interaction of the enteropathogenic bacteria Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter jejuni with the cells of the intestinal epithelium and their deliverance of bacterial proteins into host cells. These bacterial proteins modulate a variety of cellular functions by mimicking the activity of host cell proteins. Efforts in the laboratory are aimed at characterizing the function of these and other bacterial proteins that modulate cellular functions as well as the type III secretion organelle itself. In the case of C. jejuni, efforts are aimed at understanding how these bacteria enter intestinal epithelial cells and regulate cell cycle progression. Dr. Galan has served as a mentor to over 40 young scholars.