Gabrielle Fortier

Research: Biosynthesis and functions of cell envelope proteins in Helicobacter pylori

Gabrielle is a PhD. student in the Microbe Host Interactions graduate program. She earned her BS in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2023, entered the IGP in 2023, and joined Dr. Tim Cover’s lab in 2024 to study the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and H. pylori-host interactions. H. pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human stomach, leading to an increased risk of gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease. Treatment of H. pylori with antibiotics is becoming increasingly difficult due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, and the World Health Organization has included antibiotic-resistant H. pylori on its list of high-priority bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. Gabrielle is studying the biosynthesis and functions of H. pylori cell envelope proteins and developing new approaches to inhibit post-translational modifications of these proteins.   

Mentor: Timothy L. Cover, M.D.