Savannah Sanchez, Ph.D.

Pathogenic obligate intracellular bacteria, many of which cause zoonotic diseases, pose a significant public health risk and lead to substantial economic burdens worldwide. In the Sanchez lab, we take a comparative, bacteria-centric approach to explore the microbial evolution, ecology, and cell biology of this diverse group of pathogens with the goal of uncovering key principles of adaptation and survival within the host, and thus their ability to cause disease.

Obligate intracellular bacteria are broadly classified into two categories, vacuolar- or cytosolic-adapted. These divergent ecological niches reflect distinct strategies for thriving within host cells and offer a comparative platform to reveal the contrasting mechanisms that pathogens employ to survive in the intracellular environment. Our lab uses two pathogenic bacterial models, Coxiella burnetii—the agent of Q fever—and Orientia tsutsugamushi—the agent of scrub typhus, to discover both conserved and distinct biological processes regarding bacteriology, pathogenesis, and host-pathogen interactions for survival in each niche. Moreover, as obligates depend on a eukaryotic host cell for growth and survival, studying aspects of pathogen biology provides a novel training ground to better understand eukaryotic cell biology.

Research in the lab combines classical microbiology with modern, multidisciplinary methods. Students are encouraged to pursue independent projects, collaborate across interests, and build diverse skillsets—while contributing to fundamental discoveries in infectious disease.