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Scott Hultgren, Ph.D.
Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology
Washington University School of Medicine
Dr. Hultgren received his undergraduate education at Indiana University and his Ph.D. at Northwestern University in Chicago. He did his postdoctoral training at Umeå University in Sweden under the tutelage of Staffan Normark. His major interests have been in elucidating basic mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. His work has represented a unique blend powerful genetic system with x-ray crystallography, protein chemistry, high resolution electron microscopy, immunology and cell biology to study the molecular details of host-pathogen interactions that occur during urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli. He has become a world’s authority in issues relating to the structure and function of adhesive fibers, called pili that play critical and unexpected roles in host-pathogen interactions. Studying UTIs, he found that bacterial entry into epithelial cells of the bladder provides a safe haven for bacterial persistence by activating the formation of intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs). Elucidation of the IBC program is changing the way UTIs are evaluated and treated and is re-shaping models of bacterial infections in general. His studies are teaching us fundamental aspects of bladder physiology that have implications for normal epithelial renewal and bladder cancer. He also is investigating amyloid-like fibers, called curli, produced by E. coli. This work has implications for the pathology of Alzheimer’s and other amyloid diseases. Work in his lab is spawning new technologies to design novel vaccines and anti-microbial therapeutics that will block the ability of bacteria to adhere to host tissues and prevent their ability to establish infections. Dr. Hultgren received the Eli Lilly award in 1998, which is the preeminent award granted in Microbiology for individuals under 40. Among some of his other honors include being awarded a Nobel Fellowship and being recognized as a Nobel Fellow; being awarded an NIH Merit grant; serving as Shipley Lecturer at Harvard University and as Chairman of a Gordon Conference on Microbial Attachment; and being awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy at Umeå University in Sweden. He was recently selected as Course Master-of-the-Year at Washington University in honor of his dedication to teaching. Website: http://www.hultgrenlab.wustl.edu
