Education | Laboratory Personnel | General Research Interest | Selected Research Projects
Research and Clinical Interests | Major Specialized Equipment Items Available | Selected Publications
TCSVM Faculty

Naomi Balaban
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Infectious Diseases
Phone: 508-887-4256
Fax: 508-839-7911
Email: naomi.balaban@tufts.edu
Dept. URL: http://vet.tufts.edu/biomed/infectious_diseases.htm

Education
PhD - Weizmann Institute of Science - 1991
MS - Weizmann Institute of Science - 1982
BS - Hebrew University - 1979

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General Research Interest
Regulation of bacterial pathogenesis via quorum sensing mechanisms. Vaccine development to African Sleeping Sickness.

Research Sponsor Interest

  • Federally Funded Research
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Selected Research Projects
Studies in the lab involve molecular genetics, genomics, proteomics, biochemical molecular and cellular biology techniques to answer fundamental questions on molecular aspects of quorum sensing on bacterial pathogenesis.

Specific projects include:

  1. Structure and function analysis of quorum sensing molecules
  2. Signal transduction of bacterial pathogenesis
  3. Vaccine and therapy development to gram positive bacteria.
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Selected Publications

  1. Gov, Y., Borovok, I., Korem, M., Singh, V.K., Jayaswal, R.K., Wilkinson, B.J., Rich, S.M., Balaban, N. Quorum sensing in staphylococci is regulated via phosphorylation of three conserved histidine residues. J Biol Chem. 279, 14665-14672 (2004).

  2. Rasooly, R. and Balaban, N. p15 trypanosome microtubule associated protein as a vaccine for the prevention of African sleeping sickness. Vaccine 22, 1007-1015 (2004).

  3. Korem, M., Sheoran, A., Gov, Y., Borovok, I., Tzipori, S. and Balaban N. Characterization of RAP, a quorum sensing activator in Staphylococccus aureus. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 223, 167-175 (2003).

  4. Giacometti, A., Cirioni, O., Gov, Y., Ghiselli, R., Del Prete, D.S., Mocchegiani, F., Saba, V., Orlando, F., Scalise, G., Balaban, N. and Dell'Acqua, G. RNAIII Inhibiting Peptide inhibits in vivo biofilm formation of drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 47, 1979-1983 (2003).

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Patent Information

  1. Methods and composition for the treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infections US Patent No. 6,291,431, PCT Application PCT/US98/27091.
  2. Target of RNAIII Activating Protein (TRAP) PCT/US99/21176.
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