Most bacteria require cell-cell communication to activate the production of virulence factors. Moreover, many bacteria will communicate with other bacterial species, which enhances the production of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance. If we can figure out how to break up cell-cell communication, then we can develop new ways to slow the infection process. This has the potential to extend the shelf life of existing antibiotics. 

We are currently interested is disrupting spatial structure as a means to disrupt cell-cell communication. Our past research has also focused on understanding how dispersal events, which are critical for the spread of infections, affects cell-cell communication.

Krausfeldt, L.E.,  Smith, R.P.,  Rosen, B., Shmakova, E.,  Urakawa, H.,  Mazzei, V.,  Karwacki, E.,  Dadlani, M., Lopez. J.V. (2023) Microbial biodiversity is linked the succession and dominance of bloom-forming cyanobacteria. Provisionally Accepted in mSystems.

García-Diéguez, L., Diaz-Tang, G., Meneses, E. M., Cruise, V., Barraza, I., Craddock, T. J., & Smith, R. P. (2023). Periodically disturbing biofilms reduces expression of quorum sensing-regulated virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Iscience, 26(6).

Pajon, C., Fortoul, M. C., Diaz-Tang, G., Meneses, E. M., Mariah, T., Toscan, B., ... & Smith, R. P. (2022). Interactions between metabolism and growth can determine the co-existence of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. eLife. 12., e83664,

Barraza, I., Pajon, C., Diaz-Tang, G., Marin Meneses, E., Abu-Rumman, F., García-Diéguez, L., Castro, V., Lopatkin, A.J. and Smith, R.P. (2023). Disturbing the Spatial Organization of Biofilm Communities Affects Expression of agr-Regulated Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureus. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, pp.e01932-22.

Quinn RJ, Barraza I, García-Diéguez L, Pajon C, Krausfeldt LE, Ibrahim K, Enzinna LA, Thorn ME, Eldakar OT, Craddock TJA, Smith RP (2021). Periodically disturbing the spatial structure of biofilms can affect the production of an essential virulence factor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mSystems 0:e00961-21.

Smith, RP., Barraza, I., Quinn, RJ, and Fortoul. M.C., (2020) The mechanisms and cell signaling pathways of programmed cell death in the bacterial world." In International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, vol. 352, pp. 1-53. Academic Press

Dressler, MD., Clark, C.J., Thachettu, C.A.,  Zakaria,Y.,  Eldakar, O.T., and Smith, R.P. (2017) Synthetically engineered microbes reveal interesting principles of cooperation." Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering 11, no. 1: 3-14.

Dressler, M.D.,   Conde, J.,  Eldakar, O.T., and Smith, R.P. (2019) The timing between introduction events determines population establishment success in bacteria with an Allee effect. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286: 1902: 20190598

Wilson, C. E.,   Lopatkin, A. J., Craddock, T. J., Driscoll, W. W., Eldakar, O. T., Lopez, J. V., & Smith, R. P. (2017). Cooperation and competition shape ecological resistance during periodic spatial disturbance of engineered bacteria. Scientific Reports, 7.

Smith, RP, Tan, C., Srimani, J.K., Pai, A., Riccione, K.A., Song, H. and You, L., 2014. Programmed Allee effect in bacteria causes a tradeoff between population spread and survival. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(5), pp.1969-1974.