Wiedenheft Lab

Overview

Viruses that infect bacteria (i.e., bacteriophages) are the most abundant biological entities on earth and the selective pressures imposed by these pervasive predators have a profound impact on the composition and the behavior of microbial communities in every ecological setting. Work in the Wiedenheft laboratory aims to understand the mechanisms that bacteria use to defend themselves from phage infection and counter mechanisms that phages use to subvert bacterial immune systems. We aim to determine molecular structures of the cellular machines that mediate bacterial immunity and to use these structures to understand function. The scientific culture in the Wiedenheft lab is to understand and engineer cellular machines with new functions for applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Openings

Interested in joining the Wiedenheft lab? Please send an email to Blake Wiedenheft ([email protected]), stating your research interests and experience. Please attach a CV describing your educational accomplishments, publication record, and contact information of your references.

Explore our research

Mechanisms of bacterial defense andviral counter-defense

We aim to understand the mechanisms that bacteria use to defend themselves from phage infection and counter mechanisms that phages use to subvert bacterial immune systems. Much of the lab focuses on CRISPR systems but we are also interested in other immune pathways. Read more about our research.

Genome engineering

We use Cas9 genome editing technologies to for loss and gain of function studies related to host parasite interactions in humans, plants, and insects. We are also developing new technologies designed to improve surgical repair of defective genes.

Host-parasite interactions

We are interested in understanding the co-evolution between hosts and their parasites. Current research focuses on infections by Chlamydia, Ebola, Salmonella, and Helicobacter.

News

Laina Hall and Pushya Krishna selected for the 2021 Barry M Goldwater Scholarships

Undergraduate researchers Laina Hall and Pushya Krishna won the prestigious Barry M Goldwater scholarship.

Pictured with mentors Dr. Wiedenheft (left) and Andrew Santiago-Frangos (right).

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater.

This is awarded to to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences.

List of 2021 Scholars

About the award »

CRISPR's under the big sky

	Dr. Jennifer Doudna- Winner the Stibitz and Wilson award Read more »
	CRISPR conference 2017 was held in Big Sky, Montana Read more »

MSU News

Research in the Wiedenheft lab is supported by

The National Institutes of Health Grants (INBRE, P20GM103500, P30GM110732-03, R01GM110270, and R01GM108888)
National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Grant EPS-110134)
The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
A young investigator award from Amgen
The Montana State University Agricultural Experimental Station
Montana University System Research Initiative (51040-MUSRI2015-03)

Science is our Medicine

The Wiedenheft Lab strives to understand the evolutionary outcomes of genetic conflict

Overview

Openings

Funding Opportunities

Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities

Graduate Student Funding Opportunities

Early Career Funding Opportunities