Wiedenheft Lab
Science is our Medicine
The Wiedenheft Lab strives to understand the evolutionary outcomes of genetic conflict
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.
Publications
To view a complete list of publications, please visit Dr. Wiedenheft on Google Scholar or PubMed.
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. Initially the lab primarily focused on CRISPR systems, but most of the team now works on other immune pathways. Image generated using DALL-E. Read more about our research here.
Genome engineering
News
Ava Graham selected for the 2023 Barry M Goldwater Scholarship
 |
Undergraduate researcher Ava Graham won the prestegious 2023 Goldwater Scholsrship for her research on a CRISPR-based molecular diagnostic tool for RNA viruses. You can read more about her award at this link. The Goldwater Scholarship is annually awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to honor former Unites States Senator Barry Goldwater. You can read more about the scholarship at this link. Ava is pictured here with her mentor, Royce Wilkinson. |
Ava Graham and Lenny Triem presented at the 2023 National Conference on Undergraduate Research
 |
Undergraduate researchers Ava Graham and Lenny Triem recently presented at NCUR 2023 at the University of Washington–Eau Claire on their research on repurposing a CRISPR system as a molecular diagnostic for RNA viruses. The National Conference on Undergraduate Research is an annual conference sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research. It is hosted at a different campus each year, and its purpose is to promote undergraduate research and creative activity. Lenny and Ava are pictured here with their research poster. |
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.
|
CRISPR's under the big sky
 |
Dr. Jennifer Doudna- Winner the Stibitz and Wilson award |
 |
CRISPR conference 2017 was held in Big Sky, Montana |
MSU News
Research in the Wiedenheft lab is supported by
- The National Institutes of Health Grants (INBRE, R35GM134867, 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)