We are incredibly grateful for the generous support we have received for @centermicrobialmed.bsky.social. Support from these donors is allowing us to improve pediatric health through the lens of the microbiome and bring precision pathogen surveillance to reduce infections in children.

Donors Join Forces to Support Center for Microbial Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

🦠🧍‍♀️From bacterial to human immunity. We report in @science.org the discovery of a human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins that participates in the TLR pathway of animal innate immunity. Co-led wt @enzopoirier.bsky.social by D. Bonhomme and @hugovaysset.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Excited to share this collaborative study with @ritatamayo.bsky.social showing that E. faecalis influences C. diff morphology through the phase variable CmrRST system! This work was co-led by the amazing team of @ashleyweiss.bsky.social and Jilarie Santos-Santiago!

Excited to post our first S. aureus preprint on biorxiv! Big congrats to co-first authors, postdocs @anjali20anil.bsky.social and Rezia Braza, and really enjoyed the collaboration with @torreslab.bsky.social !

Congratulations to @haidermanzer.bsky.social on being awarded the @bwfund.bsky.social Postdoc Diversity Enrichment Program Award!! So well deserved - we are very proud here in the Zackular Lab!

Congratulations to Dr. Alexa Semon on successfully defending her thesis yesterday! We are incredibly proud of all that you accomplished during your time in the Zackular Lab. We’re sad to see you go, but know that you’ll do amazing things at @regeneron.com! @upenn.edu @chopresearch.bsky.social

Incredibly honored to be selected as a @bwfund.bsky.social Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease. Thank you to @bwfund.bsky.social for supporting our work - I am thrilled to join this amazing community! And special thank you to my AMAZING team (past & present) for getting us here!

Check out this new work from the Center for Microbial Medicine(@centermicrobialmed.bsky.social) and @upenn.edu! Amanda PeBenito @rinniehewlett.bsky.social @joeyzacks.bsky.social @alhecht.bsky.social and team show that dietary fiber alters risk for C. diff infection following antibiotics.

This was a really fun and collaborative team effort! Thank you to all who were critical for this work including @microbe-enjoyer.bsky.social, @rcglover.bsky.social, Jibraan Fawad, Elliot Friedman, Nitin Ahuja, Gary Wu, Ceylan Tanes, Kyle Bittinger, and Jim Lewis!! @centermicrobialmed.bsky.social

Excited to share our new work in @aga-gastro.bsky.social! We show that dietary fiber alters the window of susceptibility to C. difficile following antibiotic exposure. This really fantastic study was co-led by an amazing team @rinniehewlett.bsky.social @alhecht.bsky.social and Amanda PeBenito.

I am organizing #KSAntibiotics26 with an amazing team: @kimingeneva.bsky.social, @maribyndloss.bsky.social and @dariavantyne.bsky.social. Reach out to us if you have any questions and please share with your colleagues!

Come join us in Breckenridge next May!

Come join us in Breckenridge, CO next May (2026) for the Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection Keystone meeting! More information below:

Delighted to announce the @keystonesymposia.bsky.social meeting: Beyond #Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies Combating #BacterialInfection. Join us in Breckenridge in May 2026!! You can check out the program and amazing lineup of speakers below: keysym.us/KSAntibiotics26 #KSAntibiotics26

The economists get it, maybe someone listen to them if not to us scientists? www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...

I joined the Center for Microbial Medicine in November, and I'm so excited to see what this team of amazing scientists will accomplish!

Welcome @drnikhilpai.bsky.social and @kristenpidgeon.bsky.social to Bluesky!! Kristen is the Administrative Director of the Center and Nik is leading our Clinical Division and clinical trial efforts. Give them a follow!!

Our preprint on genomic epidemiology in the NICU! Strains that transmit faster also cause more invasive disease! nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Excited to share our work with @pjplanet.bsky.social and @ahmedmicrobes.bsky.social tracking Staph aureus transmission across the NICU using genomics!! This study was co-led by the amazing @qianxuan.bsky.social and Lakshmi Srinivasan, and made possible by the @centermicrobialmed.bsky.social

Check out this exciting preprint from @pjplanet.bsky.social @ahmedmicrobes.bsky.social @joeyzacks.bsky.social!! Study led by @qianxuan.bsky.social looking at Staphylococcus aureus transmission across the NICU.

Our team published additional results from the Phase 2 CONSORTIUM study for our rCDI candidate, VE303. This research offers new insights into PK-PD relationships and the mechanisms of action of VE303, providing a rationale for the drug’s protective effects in rCDI. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This week, recent studies show progress in healthcare, including an mRNA vaccine for C difficile, the rise of antimicrobial resistance, peer-assisted telemedicine for hepatitis C in rural areas, and more. #IDsky #MEDsky www.contagionlive.com/view/top-5-i...

Thank you to @contagionlive.bsky.social for covering our Cdiff mRNA vaccine work! And you know you’re a bit too excited about your teams research when they have to cut your interview into a 3-part miniseries 😅

Check out interview with Co-Director @joeyzacks.bsky.social discussing new mRNA vaccine for C. diff developed in Zackular, @drewweissmanlab.bsky.social, and Alameh labs at @upenn.bsky.social and CHOP. www.contagionlive.com/view/mrna-va...

Cool story! Congrats Volker, Marcia, and team!

Hey #microbiomesky #microsky #IDsky, check out @centermicrobialmed.bsky.social! We are focused on leveraging the microbiome to improve the lives of sick children. We’re also using genomics to track pathogens and reduce infections in kids. We’re building, growing, hiring, and looking for partners!

I’m proud to join more than 30 colleagues today in sharing our analysis of potential risks from “mirror life”. We summarize our findings in a @science.org article, and in greater detail in a 300pg technical report: Article: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Report: purl.stanford.edu/cv716pj4036

🚨 New review in @natrevgastrohep.bsky.social: Should you take probiotics with antibiotics? www.nature.com/articles/s41... Bottom line: current evidence does not support the common perception that probiotics can facilitate the gut microbiome's recovery from antibiotics. BUT! 1/🧵

We’re excited to bring the Center for Microbial Medicine to Bluesky! This center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is dedicated to finding cures and improving pediatric health through the lens of the microbiome. For more info check back here often! www.research.chop.edu/center-for-m...