Research Interests

We are interested in studying the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Mycobacterium abscessus, is a rapidly emerging nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in patients with cystic fibrosis and underlying lung damage is considered an ‘antibiotic nightmare” due to its intrinsic resistance to the majority of FDA approved antibiotics. M. abscessus therefore offers a unique opportunity to explore the potential of drug resistance mechanisms encoded by bacteria. In addition, we are also interested in studying transcriptional networks involving sigma factors and their regulators in mycobacterial physiology.

Specific projects include:

  1. Systems level understanding of changes that accompany exposure of M. abscessus to antibiotics with a specific focus on the WhiB7-dependent pathway.
  2. Mechanisms of HflX & ABCF mediated resistance to macrolide-lincosamide antibiotics.
  3. Mechanisms of HelR mediated resistance to rifamycins.
  4. Identification of effectors that confer unique profiles of drug resistance.
  5. Screening of small molecule libraries for inhibitors of identified targets.
  6. Exploring phage lysins as an alternate therapy for M. abscessus infections.

To learn more about our projects and the people behind them, visit our Research Projects and People page.

Join our lab!

Senior Laboratory Technician JR-0002023

Applications due 3/13/26

Health Research Inc. is seeking a Senior Laboratory Technician to work within the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. The Senior Laboratory Technician will assist in supporting staff who conduct research on the molecular mechanisms of regulation of drug resistance in mycobacteria. The incumbent in this position will prepare and set up the design and creation of gene knockouts, next generation of mutant bacteria, and data analysis to decipher regulatory pathways that contribute to intrinsic drug resistance in these bacteria. The incumbent will be responsible for learning established procedures, assisting with analyzing data samples per established protocol, and assisting with generating data for publication.

This position will be part of a dynamic team serving the Wadsworth Center’s mission in the New York State Department of Health’s efforts to protect and promote the health of New York’s citizens. Come be a part of Science in the Pursuit of Health®

Feel free to contact Pallavi.ghosh@health.ny.gov for more information about our laboratory. 

Program Updates

Differentiated biofilms of M. abscessus

Wadsworth Center Launches Web Tool to Explore the Mycobacterium abscessus Pangenome

Scientists at the Wadsworth Center have developed a new online resource to help researchers better understand Mycobacterium abscessus (MABS), an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that can cause difficult-to-treat infections.  Drs. Anil Ojha and Pallavi Ghosh of the Division of Genetics, together with Dr. Pascal Lapierre of the Bioinformatics Core, created the MABS Pangenome Explorer, an interactive, web-based tool designed for rapid exploration of the M. abscessus pangenome (https://abscessus.wadsworth.org/)
Pallavi Ghosh

Dr Pallavi Ghosh Serves on NIH Fellowship Study Section

National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant proposals are reviewed for scientific merit by study sections composed of expert scientists. These panels carefully evaluate and rank submitted applications, with funding decisions based on scientific rigor, innovation, feasibility, and potential impact. Study section service requires a substantial commitment of time and effort, including extensive reading and re-reading of applications, objective evaluation, written critiques, in-depth discussion with peer reviewers during meetings, and submission of final scores and summary statements.
Biofilm Plate Paczkowski Laboratory

National Institutes of Health Training Grant Awarded to University at Albany Supports Wadsworth Center Fellows

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) Training Grant (T32) titled “RNA Science and Technology in Health and Disease” was awarded to the University at Albany, State University of New York, for $1.8 million over the next five years to support seven RNA Fellows each year from the graduate education programs that comprise the RNA Institute.  
Seedling News Square

Nine Seed Grants - Quintessentially Wadsworth Center

From environmental projects characterizing and quantitating contaminants in our water, food and even inside us, to infectious disease projects addressing antimicrobial resistance, “one of the world’s most urgent public health problems”, and studying factors that contribute to emerging infections, these seed grant-supported projects span a wide range of fields.
Print