Tuckey presents research at inaugural Microbes as Therapeutics conference
Posted on August 25, 2026
Amanda Tuckey, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Jonathon Audia, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, presented her research at the inaugural Microbes as Therapeutics Gordon Research Conference (GRC), held Aug. 2-7 in Lewiston, Maine.
The conference brought together scientists from around the world to explore the rapidly advancing field of microbial therapeutics, including the use of genetically modified microorganisms to deliver treatments and combat disease. The conference, which featured cutting-edge and unpublished research, encouraged discussion and collaboration among scientists at all career stages.
Tuckey, an alumna of the Whiddon College of Medicine’s Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program, presented a poster titled “Exploiting the bacterial type III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to impact genomic recombination in murine lungs.”
The research explores a groundbreaking proof-of-concept for a potential new disease-fighting platform. By repurposing a harmless, attenuated strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the researchers created a bacterial “chassis” capable of injecting therapeutic proteins directly into host cells.
“This inaugural meeting was so crucial for us to see the status of the field and get really good feedback on our work from scientists who are at the forefront of microbial medicine,” Tuckey said.
