Bakaletz Lab

The Bakaletz Lab, led by Lauren Bakaletz, PhD, has been funded for over 25 years to study the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of diseases. The primary focus of the lab’s work has been to design and test vaccine candidates that can prevent and/or resolve otitis media, or middle ear infection, and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The lab has worked to develop a method of immunization against ear infections that involves simply placing a bandage on the skin just behind the ear.

The lab’s research on biofilms complements this work. Biofilms are towering communities of highly treatment-resistant bacteria that are responsible for the majority of chronic and recurrent human and animal diseases. The Bakaletz Lab collaborates with Steven Goodman, PhD, and his team to develop and test effective methods to disrupt and/or prevent biofilm formation, including a novel species-agnostic approach.