Alison Criss

Infections as ecosystems: community metabolic interactions in microbial pathogenesis | Infection and Immunity Microbial communities are present on nearly every surface of the human body. These microbiomes exist as dynamic ecosystems that are influenced by heterogeneous nutritional and chemical landscapes, the...

Excited to have our new mini review on Microbiome Metabolism out today in I&I as part of the @asm.org New Voices in Microbiology collection! Check it out!

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journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Some journals are claiming that you need to pay big $$ for gold open access to comply with NIH's new public access policy. FYI that is total bs. You can comply by depositing the Accepted Manuscript into PubMed Central on the Date of Publication without embargo. Pass it on.

Microbial Databases, Software Tools, and Web Services Publish your microbial database or software tool in MRA to gain recognition, citations, and community trust.

Excited to share our new call for papers at @asm.org's MRA journal. Do you have a database, software, or web-based tool that would be a great resource for the micro community? Consider submitting it to MRA! journals.asm.org/journal/mra/...

Please use this link to nominate: asm.org/IAI-minireview

Infection and Immunity Journal Homepage Infection and Immunity Journal helps microbiologists, immunologists, epidemiologists, pathologists, and clinicians develop novel strategies to prevent or treat infectious diseases.

Many exciting initiatives led by EIC
@abaumler.bsky.social on including New Voices in Microbiology and special topics issues - check it out! journals.asm.org/journal/iai

A few weeks late, but delighted to announce I'm an editor at Infection and Immunity! Send your manuscripts to this @ASM.org society journal - proceeds go back to our community. And free immediate #OpenAccess through #SubscribeToOpen. Want to know more? journals.asm.org/S2O

Infection and Immunity is now welcoming nominations for highly promising scientists at the assistant professor level (or equivalent) to submit research to the next New Voices in Microbiology Collection!

Please nominate by the August 18 deadline using the below link:
app.asm.org/account/logi...

We are looking for a new postdoctoral fellow to join our team at NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, near Research Triangle Park. If you are interested please DM me and or also apply here: jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/219...

Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.

Alert! The abstract deadline for the Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response meeting has been extended to July 7 meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...

Wonderful to be at #ASMicrobe and catch up with colleagues including the amazing Monica Gestal! #ASMJournals

INVALUABLE must read for academic leadership and really all researchers 👇🏻

U.S. college is first to decline federal science grants because of new DEI language Williams College says NSF and NIH requirement related to discrimination “undermines” academic freedom

Exclusive: Confusion over new DEI language from NSF and NIH leads Williams College to be first institution to pause accepting any grants www.science.org/content/arti...

Worried Northwestern lab directors describe ‘bleak’ atmosphere in wake of Trump research funding freeze The Trump administration’s freezing of $790 million in federal research funding for Northwestern University has left concerned lab directors without key grants and forced the university to spend mi…

I helped explain to the Chicago Tribune the enourmous and irrational damage the NIH funding freeze is causing at Northwestern. “You’re at risk of losing an entire next generation of scientists" "it’s terrifying; it’s completely senseless." www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/07/w...

Are you looking for a faculty job? We are hiring in my department at Roswell Park NOW. Contact me for details as I await the formal ad. (Please RT.)

All of NIH funding to Northwestern University is frozen. This pause includes noncompeting approved funding, new and competing grants with fundable scores. No reimbursements for money already spent have been received since March. This situation is rarely reported so please Please get the word out!

Congratulations and well deserved, Joe! 🎉

SIS 2025 registration ends next Monday. We still have a few seats available. Please join us! @uvaimmunology.bsky.social

National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 30 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...

Congratulations to UVA MIC Chair and MSTP Co-Director Mariano Garcia-Blanco on election to the National Academy of Sciences! 🎉
www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

High-dimensional spectral flow cytometry of activation and phagocytosis by peripheral human polymorphonuclear leukocytes Polymorphonuclear lymphocytes (PMNs) are terminally differentiated phagocytes with pivotal roles in infection, inflammation, tissue injury, and resolution. PMNs can display a breadth of responses to d...

Both manuscripts are available on bioRxiv:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

High-dimensional spectral flow cytometry of activation and phagocytosis by peripheral human polymorphonuclear leukocytes Here we report a 22-color spectral flow cytometry panel to profile primary human PMNs for markers of activation, degranulation, phagocytosis, migration, an

Evan also designed a spectral flow cytometry panel to profile mature human neutrophil functions, with Sr Scientist Ian Glomski and Mike Solga and Taylor Harper of the UVA Flow Cytometry Core - we hope this is useful for the phagocyte community! academic.oup.com/jleukbio/adv...

Terminal complement complexes with or without C9 potentiate antimicrobial activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae | mBio The complement cascade is a front-line arm of the innate immune system against pathogens. Complement activation results in membrane attack complex (MAC) pores forming on the outer membrane of Gram-neg...

Much of Evan's PhD research is published in mBio, where he uncovered the ability of terminal complement to enhance antibiotic efficacy against Neisseria gonorrhoeae (including C5b-C8 complexes for the complement aficionados!) journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

A huge congratulations to newly minted Dr. Evan Lamb on his spectacular PhD defense! Evan will now complete his medical training through UVA's MSTP.

Slots are filling up at the Phagocytes GRC this June! We'll be selecting speakers from abstracts very soon, so apply now to make sure yours is considered!

I'm delighted to share a useful FREE web-based app portal of powerful bioinformatics tools for microbial genomes and shotgun microbiome sequences!

It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com

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Bluetorial: Non-Competitive Renewal (Continuation) Awards

Normally, multiyear NIH grants are paid with awards each year, pending administratively reviewed progress reports. “NIH” has been slow in making these awards. This has led to $1.83 B being withheld from institutions through February 2025.

Network-based population analysis of 31,595 gonococcal genomes reveals phase variability, genetic diversity and mobile element dynamics drive antimicrobial resistance and phenotypic diversity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.28.640638v1

Mitochondria sense bacterial lactate and drive release of neutrophil extracellular traps Historically, neutrophil mitochondria were overlooked as they do not contribute to energy homeostasis. Wise et al. reveal that neutrophil mitochondria can sense bacterial persistence in the phagosome ...

#weekendreading 🔬

Mitochondria sense bacterial lactate and drive release of neutrophil extracellular traps

@cellpress.bsky.social #microsky

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Excited by phagocyte biology? Still making summer conference plans? The Phagocytes GRC has an amazing lineup of invited speakers and many opportunities for talks from submitted abstracts. Apply soon for full consideration! www.grc.org/phagocytes-c...

Rethinking concepts of virulence with Neisseria gonorrhoeae - Nature Microbiology Alison Criss discusses the features of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, its intricate interactions with innate immunity and how this challenges our understanding of what makes a pathogen pathogenic.

Dive into our latest Microbe Matters 🦠 where Alison Criss talks about Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and if you find those micrographs super cool, you're not the only ones! 😊

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

What is double pneumonia? Pope Francis's diagnosis explained. Pope Francis is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia — but what is this condition, and why might the pope be particularly vulnerable to it?

The Pope is in critical condition due to a"polymicrobial infection” of the lungs. What is this? An infection caused by multiple “germs”, most likely bacteria given the severity of the condition. One of many examples on why microbiology research matters.

www.livescience.com/health/virus...