Gregory Zaharas Receives URSA Grant to Conduct Research in the Greathouse Lab at Baylor University

Greg is a senior Biology major in the Honors program with a History minor, and he is currently applying to medical school. His project, titled “Assessing Indole Metabolite Impact on Fusobacterium nucleatum's biofilm formation and Virulence Adhesion Expression” probes the use of metabolites to alter the toxicity of Fusobacteria infections, which have been associated with inflammatory processes that stimulate colon cancer proliferation. His work aims to guide pharmaceutical research for cancer treatments and assess the immune response from Fusobacteria infections in human cell lines. This study is being prepared for a manuscript, and he is excited to see how his findings will influence microbiology research serendipitously in the future.

Greg’s passion for gut microbiome research was realized while serving on a mission trip to Kenya and witnessing the interlocking issues of public health and nutrition. He then learned about the Greathouse Lab from his biology professor, Dr. Erika Abel, and joined in the spring of 2023. A piece of advice from Greg is to be passionate about your work and feel connected to your experiences and purpose in the lab.