Graduate Student
Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
My name is Luz Cuello, and I am a fourth-year PhD. candidate at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Virology and Gene Therapy track. My thesis work (under Dr. Robin Patel's mentorship) is focused on use of phages to selectively decolonize the GI tract from multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. GI tract colonization with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae is a concern since it constitutes a reservoir for AMR genes and increases the chance of developing resistant infections for which treatment options are limited. The use of phages to decolonize the GI tract of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has the potential to safely eliminate a critical drug-resistant pathogen, preventing subsequent difficult-to-treat infections and the spread of AMR, while averting GI dysbiosis.
Prior to starting my graduate education, I also conducted research in Tamil Nadu, India, exploring epidemiologic risk factors for mosquito-borne diseases and molecular assays for the detection of early leprosy, and in my home country, Argentina, where I contributed to projects seeking to expand knowledge on congenital transmission of Chagas disease. I am interested in microbiology, host-pathogen interactions, mechanisms of human immunity against infectious agents, and public health. In the future, I want to pursue a career in public health, with an emphasis in infectious diseases. I see myself applying the knowledge and skills that I will gain through my PhD. to research addressing pressing global health issues, and to inform population-based health policies regarding infectious diseases.