Education & Training
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 2018
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PhD, Harvard University, 2013
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BA, Vassar College, 2006
Research Interest Summary
Antibiotic resistance, functional genomics, microbial evolution, phage therapy
Research Interests
The Van Tyne Lab studies how bacteria evolve to become superbugs, using comparative genomics and functional analysis. Our research falls into two main areas. First, we work to understand how bacteria evolve during human infection to resist antibiotics and host immune defenses. We sequence bacterial strains from human infections and use functional genomics to identify and characterize novel resistance mechanisms. These include the ability of bacteria to resist the host immune system, or to persist in the face of antibiotic pressure. Second, we help develop new approaches to treat resistant bacterial infections more effectively. We help characterize new types of antibiotics, and establish how novel compounds kill bacteria. We are also developing bacteriophages into next-generation antibacterials.
Publications
1. Culyba MJ, Van Tyne D (2021). Bacterial evolution during human infection: Adapt and live or adapt and die. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Sep9;17(9):e1009872. PMCID: PMC8428787.
2. Evans DR, Griffith MP, Sundermann AJ, Shutt KA, Saul MI, Mustapha MM, Marsh JW, Cooper VS, Harrison LH, Van Tyne D (2020). Systematic detection of horizontal gene transfer across genera among multidrug-resistant bacteria in a single hospital. Elife. 2020 Apr 14:9:e53886. PMCID: PMC7156236.
3. Suh GA, Lodise TP, Tamma PD, Knisely JM, Alexander J, Aslam S, Barton KD, Bizzell E, Totten KMC, Campbell JL, Chan BK, Cunningham SA, Goodman KE, Greenwood-Quaintance KE, Harris AD, Hesse S, Maresso A, Nussenblatt V, Pride D, Rybak MJ, Sund Z, van Duin D, Van Tyne D, Patel R; Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (2022). Considerations for the Use of Phage Therapy in Clinical Practice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2022 Mar 15;66(3):e0207121. Epub 2022 Jan 18. PMCID: PMC8923208.
4. Stellfox ME, Fernandes C, Shields RK, Haidar G, Hughes Kramer K, Dembinski E, Mangalea MR, Arya G, Canfield GS, Duerkop BA, Van Tyne D (2024). Bacteriophage and antibiotic combination therapy for recurrent Enterococcus faecium bacteremia. mBio. 2024 Mar 13;15(3):e0339623. Epub 2024 Feb 14. PMCID: PMC10936196.
5. Mills EG, Hewlett K, Smith AB, Griffith MP, Pless L, Sundermann AJ, Harrison LH, Zackular JP, Van Tyne D (2025). Bacteriocin production facilitates nosocomial emergence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Nat Microbiol. 2025 Apr; 10(4):871-881.