Physical Science Research Scientist, Stanford University
Comprehensive Analysis of Lipid Metabolism in Borrelia burgdorferi
Dr. Chatterjee’s project investigates a fundamental aspect of Lyme disease pathogen biology: how Borrelia burgdorferi acquires and utilizes lipids. The bacterium that causes Lyme disease is a metabolic specialist with a minimal genome, unable to synthesize most of the lipids needed for survival. Instead, it must acquire these lipids from its tick and human hosts. Understanding exactly how this nutrient acquisition process works is critical to developing new diagnostics and more effective treatments.
Dr. Chatterjee is employing a comprehensive, systems-level approach to understand Borrelia’s lipid metabolism. By integrating data from multiple analytical approaches—including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolic analysis—she will create a detailed map of how the pathogen orchestrates its metabolism, which genes and proteins are essential for survival, and which lipid-associated processes might be vulnerable to therapeutic intervention.
This work has implications for understanding how Borrelia survives and persists within the host. By identifying the molecular machinery governing lipid metabolism and the critical pathways required for pathogen viability, this research will reveal potential drug targets and lead to the development of novel anti-Lyme disease therapies.