DrPriyanka Biswas

My research seeks to understand how bacterial virulence mechanisms shape host–pathogen interactions at the intestinal mucosa and how these interactions determine infection outcomes, intestinal inflammation, and long-term tissue health. I use Citrobacter rodentium as a genetically tractable model of enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC) to investigate how bacterial effector proteins reprogramme epithelial and immune responses during enteric infection.

My work integrates bacterial genetics, mouse models of infection, quantitative proteomics, and immunological approaches to define the molecular mechanisms governing pathogen-induced epithelial dysfunction and immune regulation. More recently, my research has expanded to investigate how prior inflammatory experience and ageing influence susceptibility or resilience to enteric infection, providing new insights into the interplay between pathogen virulence and host tissue state.

Ultimately, my goal is to establish a multidisciplinary research programme integrating bacterial genetics with multi-omics approaches to identify fundamental mechanisms of host–pathogen interactions and translate these discoveries into innovative strategies to prevent and treat enteric bacterial diseases.