The Adams lab develops new approaches for human and mouse microbiome analysis, seeks to understand the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative pathogens, and contributes to clinical assay development for the JAX CLIA Laboratory.
Genomic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variant
The CLIA R&D Team is supporting the genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2-positive cases to aid in understanding the changing distribution of viral lineages in Connecticut.
Microbial community profiling using high-plex targeted genomic assays
We have adapted a single-primer extension assay named “MA-GenTA” to quantitative profiling of bacteria in the mouse gut microbiome. Using this assay, we can determine the relative abundance of hundreds of microbial species at once. The assay is straightforward, cost-effective, and reproducible. Future work is directed at other applications of this method for characterizing the accessory genome variation and distribution of selected species.
Insertion sequence elements in Acinetobacter baumannii.
Insertion sequence (IS) elements have been major drivers of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in A. baumannii and other bacteria. We are exploring the diversity of these elements and their contribution to genome evolution in this important nosocomial pathogen.