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Clare Smith

Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
264 Jones, Box 3054, Durham, NC 27710
270 Jones BOX3054, 207 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


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. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology · 2019 - Present Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Basic Science Departments
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology · 2022 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute · 2019 - Present Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 11, 2023
Smith Receives Mary Lyon Award from IMGS
Published November 9, 2022
Mysterious outbreak of bone-eating tuberculosis resembled an ancestral form

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Recent Publications


Noncanonical T cell responses are associated with protection from tuberculosis in mice and humans.

Journal Article J Exp Med · July 7, 2025 While control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is generally understood to require Th1 cells and IFNγ, infection produces a spectrum of immunological and pathological phenotypes in diverse human populations. By characterizing Mtb infection in m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Immunological roads diverged: mapping tuberculosis outcomes in mice.

Journal Article Trends Microbiol · January 2025 The journey from phenotypic observation to causal genetic mechanism is a long and challenging road. For pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which causes tuberculosis (TB), host-pathogen coevolution has spanned millennia, costing millions of hu ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Defining the host-pathogen interactions underlying susceptibility to tuberculosis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Pew Scholars Program · 2024 - 2029

Systems Genetics of Tuberculosis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Massachusetts Medical School · 2024 - 2029

The Genetic Base of Bone Disease in Mycobacterial Infection

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · 2023 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Tasmania (Australia) · 2012 Ph.D.

External Links


Smith Lab @ Duke