Clare Smith

The Smith Lab are interested in host genetic diversity, bacterial variation, and how these host-pathogen genetic interactions drive tuberculosis disease states.

Systems Genetics of Tuberculosis: We leverage host diversity in mice and macrophages from wild-derived mouse strains and diverse mouse panels, including the Collaborative Cross and BXD mammalian resources. In parallel, we define the bacterial genetic requirements for growth and adaptation across these diverse host environments through cutting-edge mycobacterial genetic approaches. These combined host and bacterial genome-wide approaches allows the interrogation of each host-pathogen interaction underlying tuberculosis disease, drug treatments and vaccine interventions.