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Claire M. Fraser, PhD

Dean E. Albert Reece Endowed Professor

Academic Title:

Professor

Primary Appointment:

Medicine

Secondary Appointment(s):

Microbiology and Immunology

Location:

Health Sciences Facility III, 670 West Baltimore St, Baltimore 21201

Phone (Primary):

(410) 706-3879

Phone (Secondary):

(410) 706-2396

Education and Training

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, BS, Biology, 1977
  • State University of New York-Buffalo, PhD, Pharmacology, 1981

Biosketch

A pioneer and global leader in genomic medicine, Dr. Fraser is one of the most highly cited investigators in microbiology. In 1995, Dr. Fraser was the first to map the complete genetic code of a free-living organism—Haemophilus influenza—the bacterium that causes lower respiratory tract infections and meningitis in infants and young children. This achievement took place at the Institute for Genomic Research, where Dr. Fraser served as Director from 1998 until 2007.

Her discovery forever changed microbiology and launched a new field of study—microbial genomics. During that time, she and her team also sequenced the bacteria behind syphilis and Lyme disease, and eventually the first plant genome and the first human-pathogenic parasite. She even helped identify the source of a deadly 2001 anthrax attack in one of the biggest investigations conducted by U.S. law enforcement. In 2007, Dr. Fraser launched the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland, which holds over 25 percent of the funding awarded by the Human Microbiome Project.

Her current research interests center on the structure and function of the human gut microbiota. Dr. Fraser has authored more than 320 scientific publications, edited three books, and has served on committees of the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Promega Biotechnology Award and the E.O. Lawrence Award from the Department of Energy. Dr. Fraser uses her skills and position of leadership in genome sciences to improve the lives of women throughout the world.

Research/Clinical Keywords

Human Gut Microbiota, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Microbial Forensics

Additional Publication Citations

Fraser, C.M. A genomics-based approach to biodefense preparedness. Nature Reviews Genetics 5:23-33, 2004.

Ghedin, E., Bringaud, F., Peterson J., Myler, P., Berriman, M., Ivens, A., Andersson B., Bontempi, E., Eisen, J., Angiuoli, S., Wanless, D., von arx, A., Murphy, L., Lennard, N., Salzberg, S., Adams, M.D., White, O., Hall, N. Stuart, K., Fraser, C.M. and El-Sayed, N.M. Gene synteny and evolution of genome architecture in trypanosomatids. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 134(2): 183-91, 2004.

Rat Genome Sequencing Project Consortium. Genome sequence of the Brown Norway rat yields insights into mammalian evolution. Nature 428: 493-521, 2004.

Nelson, K.E., Fouts, D.E., Mongodin, E.F., Ravel, J., DeBoy, R.T., Kolonay, J.F., Rasko, D.A., Angiuoli, S.V., Gill, S.R., Paulsen, I.T., Peterson, J., White, O., Nelson, W.C., Nierman, W., Beanan, M.J., Brinkac, L.M., Daugherty, S.C., Dodson, R.J., Durkin, A.S., Madupu, R., Haft, D.H., Selengut, J., Van Aken, S., Khouri, H., Federova, N., Forberger, H., Tran, B., Kathariou, S., Wonderling, L.D., Uhlich, G.A., Bayles, D.O., Luchansky, J.C. and Fraser, C.M. Whole genome comparisons of serotype 4b and 1/2a strains of the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes reveal new insights into the core genome components of this species. Nucl. Acids Res. 32(8): 2386-2395, 2004.

Seshadri, R., Myers, G.S., Tettelin, H., Eisen, J.A., Hedelberg, J.F., Dodson, R.J., Davidsen, T.M., DeBoy, R.T., Fouts, D.E., Haft, D.H., Selengut, J., Ren, Q., Brinkac, L.M., Madupu, R., Dolonay, J., Durkin, S.A., Daugherty, S.C., Shetty, J., Shvartsbeyn, A., Gebregeorgis, E., Geer, K., Tsegaye, G., Malek, J., Ayodeji, B., Shatsman, S., McLeod, M.P., Smajis, D., Howell, J.K., Pal, S., Amin, A., Vashisth, P., McNeill, T.Z., Xian, Q., Sodergren, E., Baca, E., Weinstock, G.M., Norris, S.J., Fraser, C.M. and Paulsen, I.T. Comparison of the genome of the oral pathogen Treponema denticola with other spirochete genomes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101 (15): 5646-51. 2004.

Hoffmaster, A.R., Ravel, J., Rasko, D.A., Chapman, G.D., Chute, M.D., Marston, C.K., De, B.K., Sacchi, C.T., Fitzgerald, C., Mayer, L.W., Maiden, M.C., Priest, F.G., Barker, M., Jian, L., Cer, R.Z., Rilstone, J., Peterson, S.N., Weyant, R.S., Galloway, D.R., Read, T.D., Popovic, T. and Fraser, C.M. Identification of anthrax toxin genes in a Bacillus cereus associated with an illness resembling inhalation anthrax. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101 (22): 8449-54. 2004.

Budowle, B., Schutzer, S.E., Ascher, M.S., Atlas, R.M., Burans, J.P., Chakraborty, R., Dunn, J.J., Franz, D.R., Fraser, C.M., Leighton, T.J., Morse, S.A., Murch, R.S., Ravel, J., Rock, D.L., Slezak, T.R., Velsko, S.P., Walsh, A.C., Walters, R.A. Toward a System of Microbial Forensics; from Sample Collection to Interpretation of Evidence. ASM Journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2004.

Person, T., Busch J.D., Ravel, J., Read, T.D., Rhoton S.D., U'Ren, J.M., Simonson, T.S., Kachur, S.M., Leadem, R.R., Cardon, M.L., Van Ert, M.N., Huynh, L.Y., Fraser, C.M., Keim, P. Phylogentic discovery bias in Bacillus anthracis using single-nucleotide polymorphisms from whole-genome sequencing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101(37): 13536-41, 2004.

Qiu, W.G., Schutzer, S.E., Bruno, J.F., Attie, O., Xu, Y., Dunn, J.J., Fraser, C.M., Casjens, S.R., Luft. B.J. Genetic exchange and plasmid transfers in Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strictu revealed by three-way genome comparisons and multilocus sequence typing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101(39):14150-5, 2004.

Nierman, W.C., DeShazer, D., Kim, H.S., Tettelin, H., Nelson, K.E., Feldblyum, T., Ulrich, R.L., Ronning, C.M., Brinkac, L.M., Daughterty, S.C., Davidsen, T.D., Deboy, R.T., Dimitrov, G., Dodson, R.J., Durkin, A.S., Gwinn, M.L., Haft, D.H., Khouri, H., Kolonay J.F., Madupu, R., Mohammoud, Y., Nelson, W.C., Radune D., Romero, C.M. , Sarria, S., Selengut, J., Shamblin C., Sullivan, S.A., White, O., Yu, Y., Zafar, N., Zhou, L., Fraser, C.M. Structural flexibility in the Burkholderia mallei genome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101(39):14246-51, 2004.

Ward, N., Larsen, O., Sakwa, J., Bruseth, L., Khouri, H., Durkin, A.S., Dimitrov, G., Jiang, L., Scanlan, D., Kang, K.H., Lewis, M., Nelson, K.E., Methe, B., Wu, M., Heidelberg, J.F., Paulsen, I.T., Fouts, D., Ravel, J., Tettelin, H., Ren, Q., Read, T., DeBoy, B.T., Seshadri, R., Salzberg, S.L., Jensen, H.B., Birkeland, N.K., Nelson, W.C., Dodson, R.J., Grindhaug, S.H., Holt, J., Eidhammer, I., Jonasen, I., Vanaken, S., Utterback, T., Feldblyum, T.V., Fraser, C.M., Lillehaug, J.R., Eisen, J.A. Genomic insights into methanotrophy; the complete genome sequence of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). PloS Biol. 2(10):e303, 2004.

Loftus, B.J., Fung E., Roncagila, P., Rowley, D., Amedeo, P., Bruno, D., Vamathevan, J., Miranda, M., Anderson, I.J., Fraser, J.A., Allen, J.E., Bosdet, I.E., Brent, M.R., Chiu, R., Doering, T.L., Donlin, M.J., D'Souza, C.A., Fox, D.S., Grinberg, V., Fu, J., Fukushima, M., Haas, B.J., Huang, J.C., Janbon, G., Jones, S.J., Koo, H.L., Krzywinski, M.I., Kwon-Chung, J.K., Lengeler, K.B., Maiti, R., Marra, M.A., Marra, R.E., Matthewson, C.A., Mitchell, T.G., Pertea, M., Riggs, F.R., Salzberg, S.L., Schein, J.E., Shvartsbeyn, A. , Jin, H., Shumway, M., Specht, C.A., Suh, B.B., Tenney, A., Utterback, T.R., Wickes, B.L., Wortman, J.R., Wye, N.H., Kronstad, J.W., Lodge, J.K., Heitman, J., David, R.W., Fraser, C.M., Hyman, R.W. The genome of the basidiomycetous yeast and human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Science 307(5713): 1321-1324, 2005.

Ghedin, E., Sengamaly, N.A., Shumway, M., Zaborsky, J., Feldblum, T., Subbu, V., Spiro, D.J., Sitz, J., Koo, H., Bolotov, P., Dernovoy, D., Tatusova, T., Bao, Y., St. George, K., Taylor, J., Lipman, D.J., Fraser, C.M., Taubenberger, J.K., Salzberg, S.L. Large-scale sequencing of human influenza reveals the dynamic nature of viral genome evolution. Nature, 437(7062): 1162-6, 2005.

Tettelin, H., Masignani, V., Cieslewicz, M.J., Donati, C., Medini, D., Ward, N.L., Angiuoli, S.V., Crabtree, J., Jones, A.L., Durkin, A.S., Deboy, R.T., Davidsen, T.M., Mora M., Scarselli, M., Margarit y Ros, I., Peterson, J.D., Hauser, C.R., Sundaram, J.P., Nelson, W.C., Madupu, R., Brinkac, L.M., Dodson, R.J., Rosovitz, M.J., Sullivan, S.A., Daugherty, S.C., Haft, D.H., Selengut, J., Gwinn, M.L., Zhou, L., Zafar, N., Khouri, H., Radune, D., Dimitrov, G., Watkins, K., O'Connor, K.J., Smith, S., Utterback, T.R., White, O., Rubens, C.E., Grandi, G. Madoff, L.C., Kasper, D.L., Telford, J.L., Wessels, M.R., Rappuoli, R., Fraser, C.M. Genome analysis of multiple pathogenic isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae: implications for the microbial 'opan-genome'. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci 102(30):13950-5, 2005.

Joardar, V., Lindeberg, M., Jackson, R.W., Selengut, J., Dodson, R., Brinkac, L.M., Daugherty, S.C., Deboy, R., Durkin, A.S., Giglio, M.G., Madupu, R., Nelson, W.C., Rosovitz, M.J., Sullivan S., Crabtree, J., Creasy, T., Davidsen, T., Haft, D.H., Zafar, N., Zhou, L., Halpin, R., Holley, T., Khouri, H., Feldblyum, T., White, O., Fraser, C.M., Chatterjee, A.K., Cartinhour, S., Schneider, D.J., Mansfield, J., Collmer, A., Buell, C.R. Whole-genome sequence analysis of Pseudomonas syringae pv. Phaseolicola 1448A reveals divergence among pathovars in genes involved in virulence and transposition. J. Bacteriol. 187(18):64888-98, 2005.

Methe, B.A., Nelson, K.E., Deming, J.W., Momen, B., Melamud, E., Zhang, X., Moult, J., Madapu, R., Nelson, W.C., Dodson, R.J., Brinkac, L.M., Daugherty, S.C., Durkin, A.S., DeBoy, R.T., Kolonay, J.F., Sullivan, S.A., Zhou, L., Davidsen, T.M., Wu, M., Huston, A.L., Lewis, M., Weaver, B., Weidman, J.F., Khouri, H., Utterback, T.R., Feldblyum, T.V., Fraser, C.M. The psychrophilic lifestyle as revealed by the genome sequent of Colwellia psychreerthraeca 34H through genomic and proteomic analysis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 102(31): 10913-8, 2005.

Holmes, E.C., Ghedin, E., Miller, N., Taylor, J., Bao, Y., St. George, K., Grenfell, B.T., Salzberg, S.L., Fraser, C.M., Lipman, D.J., Taubenberger, J.K. Whole-genome analysis of human influenza A virus reveals multiple persistent lineages and reassortment among recent H3N2 viruses. PLoS Biol. 3(9):e300, 2005.

Berriman, M., Ghedin, E., Hertz-Fowler, C., Blandin, G., Renauld, H., Bartholomeu, D.C., Lennard, N.J., Caler, E., Hamlin, N.E., Haas, B., Bohme, U., Hannick, L., Aslett, M.A., Shallom, J., Marcell, L., Hou, L., Wickstead, B., Alsmark, U.C., Arrowsmith, C., Atkin, R.J., Barron, A.J., Bringaud, F., Brooks, K., Carrington, M., Cherevach, I., Chillingworth, T.J., Churcher, C., Clark, L.N., Corton, C.H., Cronin, A., Davies, R.M., Doggett, J., Djikeng, A., Feldblyum, T., Field, M.C., Fraser, A., Goodhead, I., Hance Z., Harper, D., Harris, B.R., Hauser, H., Hostetler, J., Ivens, A., Jagels, K., Johnson, D., Johnson, J., Jones, K., Keerhornou, A.X., Koo, H., Larke, N., Landfear S., Larkin, C., Leech, V., Line, A., Lord, A., Macleod, A., Mooney, P.J., Moule, S., Martin, D.M., Morgan, G.W., Mungall, K., Norbertczak, H., Ormand, D., Pai, G., Peacock, C.S., Peterson, J., Quail, M.A., Rabbinowitsch, E., Rajandream, M.A., Reitter, C., Salzburg, S.L., Sanders, M., Scholbel. S., Sharp, S., Simmonds, M., Simpson, A.J., Tallon, L., Turner, C.M., Tait, A., Tivy, A.R., Van Aken, S., Walker, D., Wanless, D., Wang, S., White, B., White, O., Whitehead, S., Woodward, J., Wortman, J., Adams, M.D., Embley, T.M., Gull, K., Ullu, E., Barry, J.D., Fairlam, A.H., Opperdoes, F., Barrell, B.G., Donelson, J.E., Hall, N., Fraser, C.M., Melveille, S.E., El-Sayed, N.M. The genome of the African trypanosome Trypansomoa brucei. Science 309(5733): 416-22, 2005.

El-Sayed, N.M., Myler, P.J., Bartholomeu, D.C., Nilsson, D., Aggarwal, G. Tran, A.N., Ghedin, E., Wrothy, E.A., Delcher, A.L., Blandin, G., Westenberger, S.J., Caler, E., Cerqueira, G.C., Branche, C., Haas, B., Anupama, A., Arner E., Aslund, L., Attipoe, P., Bontempi, E., Bringaud, F., Burton, P., Cada, E., Campbell, D.A., Carrington, M., Crabtree, J., Darban, H., da Silveira, J.F., de Jong, P., Edwards, K., Englund, P.T., Fazelina, G., Feldblyum, T., Ferella, M., Frasch, A.C., Gull, K., Horn, D., Hou, L., Huang, Y., Kindlund, E., Klingbeil, M., Kluge, S., Koo, H., Lacerda, D., Levin, M.J., Lorenzi, H., Louie, T., Machado, C.R., McCulloch R., McKenna, A., Mizuno, Y., Mottram, J.C., Nelson, S., Ochaya, S., Oseogawa, K., Pai, G., Parson, M., Pentony, M., Pettersson, U., Pop, M., Ramirez, J.L., Rinta, J., Robertson, Simpson, A.J., Sisk, E., Tammi, M.T., Tarleton, R., Teixeira, S., Van Aken, S., Vogt, C., Ward, P.N., Wickstead, B., Wortman, J., White, O., Fraser, C.M., Stuart, K.D., Andersson, B. The genome sequence of Trypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agent of Chagas disease. Science 309(5733):409-15, 2005.

Gardner, M.J., Bishop, R., Shah, T., de Villiers, E.P., Carlton, J.M., Hall, N., Ren, Q., Paulesn, I.T., Pain, A., Berriman, M., Wilson, R.J., Sato, S., Ralph, S.A., Mann, D.J., Xiong, Z., Shallon, S.J., Weidman, J., Jiang, L., Lynn, J., Weaver, B., Shoaibi, A., Domingo, A.R., Wasawo, D., Crabtree, J., Wortman, J.R., Haas, B., Angiuoli, S.V., Creasy, T.H., Lu, C.J., Nierman, W.C., Taracha, E.L., Salzberg, S.L., White, O.R., Fitzhugh, H.A., Morzaria, S., Venter, J.C., Fraser, C.M., Nene, V. Genome sequence of Theileria parva, a bovine pathogen that transforms lymphocytes. Science 309(5731):134-7, 2005.

Budowle, B., Schutzer, S.E., Ascher, M.S., Atlas, R.M., Burans, J.P., Chakraborty, R., Dunn, J.J., Fraser, C.M., Franz, D.R., Leighton, T.J., Morese, S.A., Murch, R.S., Ravel, J., Rock, D.L., Slezak, T.R., Velsko, S.P. Walsh, A.C., Walters, R.A. Toward a system of microbial forensics: from sample collection to interpretation of evidence. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71(5):2209-13, 2005.

Wang, R., Arevalo-Herrara, M., Gardner, M.J., Bonelo, A., Carlton, J.M., Gomez, A., Vera, O., Soto, L., Vergara, J., Bidwell, S.L., Domingo, A., Fraser, C.M., Herrera, S. Immune responses to Plasmodium vivax pre-erythrocytic stage antigens in naturally exposed Duffy-negative humans: a potential model for identification of liver-state antigens. Eur. J. Immunol. 35(6):1859-68, 2005.

Gill, S.R., Fouts, D.E., Archer, G.L., Mongodin, E.F., Deboy, R.T., Ravel, J., Paulsen, I.T., Kolonay, J.F., Brinkac, L., Beanan, M., Dodson, R.J., Daugherty, S.C., Madupu, R., Angiuoli, S.V., Durkin, A.S., Haft, D.H., Vamathevan, J., Khouri, H., Utterback, T., Lee, C., Dimitrov, G., Jiang, L., Qin, H., Weidman, J., Tran, K., Kang, K., Hance, I.R., Nelson, K.E., Fraser, C.M. Insights on evolution of virulence and resistance from the complete genome analysis of an early methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureau strain and a biofilm-producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strain. J. Bacteriol. 187(7):2426-38, 2005.

Loftus, B., Anderson, I., Davies, R., Alsmark, U.C., Samuelson, J., Amedeo, P., Roncaglia, P., Berriman, M., Hirt, R.P., Mann, B.J., Nozaki, T., Suh, B., Pop, M., Duchene, M., Ackers, J., Tannich, E., Leippie, M., Hofer, M., Bruchhaus, I., Willhoeft, U., Bhattacharya, A., Jagelss, K., Moule, S., Mungall, K., Ormond, D., Squares, R., Whitehead, S., Quail, MA., Rabbinowitsch, E., Norbertczak, H., Price, C., Wang, Z., Guillen, N., Gilchrist, C., Stroup, S.E., Bhattacharya, S., Lohia, A., Foster, P.G., Sicheritz-Ponten, T., Weber, C., Singh, U., Mukherjee, C., El-Sayed, N.M., Petri, W.A.Jr., Clark, C.G., Embley, T.M., Barrell, B., Fraser, C.M., Hall, N. The genome of the protest parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Nature 433(7028):865-8, 2005.

Fouts, D.E., Mongodin, E.F., Mandress, R.E., Miller, W.G., Rasko, D.A., Ravel, J., Brinkac, L.M., Deboy, R.T., Parker, C.T., Daugherty, S.C., Dodson, R.J., Durkin, A.S., Madupu, R., Sullivan, S.A., Shetty, J.U., Ayodegi, M.A., Shvartsbeyn, A., Schatz, M.C., Badger, J.H., Fraser, C.M., Nelson, K.E. Major structural differences and novel potential virulence mechanisms from the genomes of multiple campylobacter species. PLoS Biol. 3(1):e15, 2005.

Graham, S.P., Pelle, R., Honda, Y., Mwangi, D.M., Tonukari, N.J., Yamage, M., Glew, E.J., de Villiers, E.P., Shah, T., Bishop, R., Abuya, E., Awino, E., Gachanja, J., Luyai, A.E., Mbwika, F., Muthiani, A.M., Ndegwa, D.M., Njahira, M., Nyanjui, J.K., Onono, F.O., Osaso, J., Saya, R.M., Wildmann, C., Fraser, C.M., Maudlin, I., Gardner, M.J., Morzaria, S.P., Loosmore, S., Gilbert, S.C., Audonnet, J.C., van der Bruggen, P., Nene, V., Taracha, E.L. Theileria parva candidate vaccine antigens recognized by immune bovine cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Feb 21 [Epub ahead of print] 2006.

Gill, S. R., Pop, M., Deboy, R.T., Eckburg, P.B., Turnbaugh, P.J., Samuel, B.S., Gordon, J.I., Relman, D.A., Fraser-Liggett, C.M., Nelson, K.E. Metagenomic analysis of the human distal gut microbiome. Science 312(5778):1355, 2006.

Carlton, J.M., Hirt, R.P., Silva, J.C., Delcher, A.L., Schatz, M., Zhao, Q., Wortman, J.R., Bidwell, S.L., Alsmark, U.C., Besteiro, S., Sicheritz-Ponten, T., Noel, C.J., Dacks, J.B., Foster, P.G., Simillion, C., Van de Peer, Y., Miranda-Saavedra, D., Barton, G.J., Westrop, G.D., Muller, S., Dessi, D., Fiori, P.L., Ren, Q., Paulsen, I., Zhang, H., Bastida-Corcuera, F.D., Simoes-Barbosa, A., Brown, M.T., Hayes, R.D., Mukherjee, M., Okumura, C.Y., Schneider, R., Smith, A.J., Vanacova, S., Villalvazo, M., Haas, B.J., Pertea, M., Feldblyum, T.V., Utterback, T.R., Shu, C.L., Osoegawa, K., deJong, P.J., Hrdy, I., Horvathova, L., Zubacova, Z., Dolezal, P., Malik, S.B., Logsdon, J.M., Henze, K., Gupta, A., Wang, C.C., Dunne, R.L., Upcroft, J.A., Upcroft, P., White, O., Salzberg, S.L., Tang, P., Chiu, C.H., Lee, Y.S., Embley, T.M., Coombs, G.H., Mottram, J.C., Tachezy, J., Fraser-Liggett, C.M., and Johnson, P.J. Draft genome sequence of the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis. Science 315: 207-212, 2007.

VanErt, M.N., Easterday, W.R., Simonson, T.S., U'Ren, J.M., Pearson, T., Kenefic, L.J., Busch, J.D., Huynh, L.Y., Dukerich, M., Trim, C.B., Beaudry, J., Welty-Bernard, A., Read, T., Fraser, C.M., Ravel, J., and Keim, P. Strain-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism assays for the Bacillus anthracis Ames strain. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 47-53, 2007.

Palmenberg, A.C., Spiro, D., Zuzmickas, R., Wang, S., Djikeng, A., Rathe, J.A., Fraser-Liggett, C.M. and Liggett, S.B. Sequencing and analyses of all known human rhinovirus genomes reveal structure and evolution. Science 324: 55-59, 2009.

Bik EM, Long CD, Armitage GC, Loomer P, Emerson J, Mongodin EF, Nelson KE, Gill SR, Fraser-Liggett CM, Relman DA. Bacterial diversity in the oral cavity of 10 healthy individuals. ISME J. 2010 Aug 4.

Rasko, DA, Worsham PL, Abshire, TG, Stanley ST, Bannan JD, Wilson MR, Langham RJ, Decker RS, Jiang L, Read TD, Phillippy AM, Salzberg SL, Pop M, Van Ert MN, Kenfic LJ, Keim PS, Fraser-Liggett, CM, Ravel J. Bacillis anthracis comparative genome analysis in support of the Amerithrax investigation. Proc Natl Sci USA, 2011 Mar.

Cantarel BL, Erickson AR, Verberkmoes NC, Erickson BK, Carey PA, Pan C, Shah M, Mongodin EF, Jansson JK, Fraser-Liggett CM, Hettich RL. Strategies for metagenomic-guided whole-community proteomics of complex microbial environments. PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e27173. Epub 2011 Nov 23.

Casjens SR, Mongodin EF, Qiu WG, Dunn JJ, Luft BJ, Fraser-Liggett CM, Schutzer SE. Whole-genome sequences of two Borrelia afzelii and two Borrelia garinii Lyme disease agent isolates. J Bacteriol. 2011 Dec.

Research Interests

  • Structure and function of the human gut microbiota
  • Pathogen diversity and evolution
  • Host-pathogen interactions
  • Microbila forensics

Awards and Affiliations

  • Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award, Department of Energy, 2002
  • Maryland's Top 100 Women, Circle of Excellence, 2003
  • AAAS Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004
  • Promega Biotechnology Research Award, American Society for Microbiology, 2005
  • Fellowship, American Academy of Microbiology, 2005
  • Charles Thom Award, Society for Industrial Microbiology, 2005
  • Most Highly Cited Investigator in Microbiology for Previous 10 Years, Thomson Scientific-ICI, 2005
  • Honorary Doctor of Science, Smith College, 2009
  • Board of Directors, Maryland Technology Development Corporation, 2009-2016
  • Inductee, Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, 2010
  • Women in Technology, Health IT Award, 2010
  • Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame, 2011
  • Elected into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2011
  • Honorary Doctor of Science, New York University, 2013
  • Board of Directors, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2013-present
  • Prize in Infectious Diseases, Drexel College of Medicine, 2014
  • The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds, Thomson Reuters, 2014

Grants and Contracts

The Thrifty Microbiome: The role of the gut microbiota in obesity in the Amish" - National Institutes of Health UH2 grant"Metagenomic analysis of the structure and function of the human gut microbiota in Crohn's Disease" - National Institutes of Health UH3 grant "Genome Sequencing Center for Infectious Diseases" - National Institutes of Health contract

Links of Interest

Previous Positions

  • Senior Staff Fellow, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, NINCDS, National Institutes of Health, 1985-1987
  • Senior Staff Fellow, and Chief, Unit of Receptor Regulation, Receptor Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, 1987-1989
  • Chief, Section on Molecular Neurobiology, Laboratory of Physiologic and Pharmacologic Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, ADAMHA, 1989-1992
  • Vice-President  for Research and Director, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, MD, 1992-1998
  • President and Director, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, MD, 1998-2007