Heitman Lab Members

Edmond Byrnes Graduate Student 312 CARL Building Box 3546 DUMC Durham, N.C. 27710 Phone: 919.684.9702 Fax: 919.684.5458 Email: edmond.byrnes@duke.edu

I received my B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Maryland College Park in 2006. As an undergraduate, I worked at the USDA Beltsville Area Research Center, where I used molecular genetic approaches to study bloodfeeding patterns of the mosquito species Culex pipiens. In the fall of 2006, I began my graduate career at Duke University in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. After rotations in several departmental labs, I joined the Heitman lab in June 2007 due to my interest in the fungal pathogenesis of the Cryptococcus species. I have primarily been investigating clinical and veterinary isolates of Cryptococcus gatti. Unlike C. neoformans, C. gatti, mostly infects otherwise healthy individuals and animals. Cases in the Pacific Northwest, especially on Vancouver Island, have been on the rise since 1999. Currently, my research is focused on the genetic typing of isolates, as well as virulence assays using the heterologous host system of Galleria mellonella. During my time in the lab, I would like to characterize virulence determinants in C. gattii, and I would also like to use genotyping and population genetics to help in the understanding of how the geographical range of this pathogen has been increasing.

[Back to Heitman lab]