Project Mentor: Professor Dylan Shropshire, Biological Sciences

2025 Impact Fellows:
Joyce Li '26
Josh Mirsky '27
Nora Ronan '26
Arushi Tewari '27

Project Description:

What does it take for one bacterium to become the most common microbe living inside animal cells?
 

The bacterium Wolbachia has achieved this, inhabiting the cells of over half of all arthropod species—a prevalence unmatched by any other. This project addresses a fundamental biological question: What specific genetic and molecular traits have enabled Wolbachia to achieve this global dominance?

Answering this question will not only reveal the secrets to endosymbiotic success but also enhance public health strategies that deploy pathogen-blocking Wolbachia strains to combat devastating mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.