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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 556 8250
Email
leah.smith@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Research Fellow
Department
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Qualifications
PhD (Microbiology), MS, BS (Biology)
Research summary
Investigating phage-biofilm interactions and bacterial defense systems.

Research

Bacterial viruses (bacteriophages, or phages) represent a promising solution towards serious global concerns like antibiotic resistance. However, phage-based therapies are limited by gaps in our understanding of fundamental phage biology.

My current research focus is to understand the genetic factors that influence phage infection of bacterial biofilms, which often form in wounds and on medical devices. Biofilms represent a serious clinical challenge, as they often resist conventional antibiotic treatment due to their complex structure and metabolism. My research incorporates single-celled techniques and high-throughput genomics to understand how phages interact with biofilms. Investigating phage-biofilm interactions will allow us to improve the efficacy of phage therapy for both environmental and clinical applications.

My postdoctoral and PhD research focused on CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune systems. This included understanding the activity and regulation of type III systems, and investigating bacterial interactions with nucleus-forming jumbo phages.

Publications

Smith, L. M., Hampton, H. G., Yevstigneyeva, M. S., Mahler, M., Paquet, Z. S. M., & Fineran, P. C. (2023). CRISPR-Cas immunity is repressed by the LysR-type transcriptional regulator PigU. Nucleic Acids Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad1165 Journal - Research Article

Shearer, H. L., Pace, P. E., Smith, L. M., Fineran, P. C., Matthews, A. J., Camilli, A., Dickerhof, N., & Hampton, M. B. (2023). Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae genes associated with hypothiocyanous acid tolerance through genome-wide screening. Journal of Bacteriology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1128/jb.00208-23 Journal - Research Article

Mahler, M., Malone, L. M., van den Berg, D. F., Smith, L. M., Brouns, S. J. J., & Fineran, P. C. (2023). An OmpW-dependent T4-like phage infects Serratia sp. ATCC 39006. Microbial Genomics, 9(3), 000968. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000968 Journal - Research Article

Smith, L. M., & Fineran, P. C. (2023). Phage capsid recognition triggers activation of a bacterial toxin-antitoxin defense system [Spotlight]. Molecular Cell, 83, 165-166. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.12.020 Journal - Research Other

Mayo-Muñoz, D., Smith, L. M., Garcia-Doval, C., Malone, L. M., Harding, K. R., Jackson, S. A., Hampton, H. G., Fagerlund, R. D., Gumy, L. F., & Fineran, P. C. (2022). Type III CRISPR-Cas provides resistance against nucleus-forming jumbo phages via abortive infection. Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Annual Symposium. Retrieved from https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/go Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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