20230830 – Job Posting for LCFA formulation
Project Title:
Development of new therapeutic for bacterial vaginosis
Project Description:
The Kwon lab at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard studies the vaginal microbiome and how interactions between specific microbes and the host impact health and disease. One area of interest is bacterial vaginosis, which is a syndrome characterized by a shift in the vaginal microbiome composition and is associated with adverse health outcomes such as preterm birth, cervical dysplasia, and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. We are interested in developing new therapeutic strategies for bacterial vaginosis that will shift the microbiota composition back to health-associated states, being Lactobacillus crispatus dominant. Currently, we are looking for an undergraduate student to characterize and optimize novel formulations of metabolite-based agents to promote L. crispatus dominance in culture-based in vitro assays and evaluate their effects on host cells and tissue. This position would be fully on-site at the Ragon Institute, and we expect the project to span >2 full semesters. We expect at least 10 hours of commitment per week.
Contact Name:
Meilin Zhu
Contact Email:
mzhu@broadinstitute.org