![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/med.virginia.edu\/bims\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/390\/2025\/07\/thumbnail_Mary-Broden-pic-200x300.jpg\")
Mary was awarded a NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases which began on July 1, 2025. Mary is a doctoral candidate in Microbiology in the lab of Alison Criss.<\/p>\n
Mary received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology.<\/p>\n
We asked Mary to tell us about her research and hopes for the future.<\/p>\n
Can you tell us about your research?<\/strong><\/p>\n Our lab studies Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc), which causes the bacterial STI gonorrhea. Gc infection induces robust neutrophil recruitment and serum exposure through epithelial leakage. As an obligate human pathogen, Gc has evolved host-specific mechanisms to resist killing by both complement and neutrophils. Gc binds human C4b-binding protein (C4BP), a classical complement inhibitor found in serum, to resist complement-mediated killing. Our lab has found that independent of complement, Gc binding to C4BP blocks non-opsonic phagocytosis. The major driver of non-opsonic phagocytosis by neutrophils is the binding of a Gc outer membrane opacity-associated proteins (Opa) to human CEACAMs. The hypothesis I am testing in my thesis work is that C4BP inhibits Opa-CEACAM interactions. My future research will investigate the structural basis of C4BP-mediated inhibition of Opa-CEACAM interactions and how the presence of C4BP modulates signaling and bactericidal activities downstream of CEACAM engagement during infection. This work will define molecular mechanisms driving the complement-independent role of C4BP in Gc-neutrophil interactions, enhance our understanding of the host-specific mechanisms Gc uses to protect itself from neutrophils, and reveal potential targets for C4BP-based therapeutics.<\/p>\n What drives or motivates your scientific pursuits?<\/strong><\/p>\n I am driven by the intellectual challenge of research and by a deep curiosity in how pathogenic microbes have evolved to survive and thrive within the human host. What I enjoy most about science is the constant opportunities to learn new techniques and to engage with other scientists. I am excited to contribute to the pool of basic science research that makes future medical advances possible.<\/p>\n What are your future goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n My long-term goal is to lead a lab investigating interactions of human cells with pathogenic bacteria and to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mary was awarded a NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases which began on July 1, 2025. Mary is a doctoral candidate in Microbiology in the lab of Alison Criss. Mary received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2214,"featured_media":4916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-student-fellowships"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\n