N. J. Ferraro

Neisseria gonorrhoeae scavenges host sialic acid for Siglec-mediated, complement-independent suppression of neutrophil activation

This paper shows that Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses sialic acid from the host to modify its surface, which helps it avoid neutrophil activation without needing the complement system.

Selective Display of a Chemoattractant Agonist on Cancer Cells Activates the Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 on Immune Cells

The paper designs a bifunctional agent using pHLIP to selectively display a chemoattractant agonist on cancer cells, activating formyl peptide receptors on immune cells to initiate an immune response.

Transposon Screen of Surface Accessibility in S. aureus

The paper uses a transposon screen to identify genes affecting peptidoglycan accessibility in S. aureus, revealing genes that modulate sensitivity to lysostaphin.

SaccuFlow: High-throughput Analysis Platform to Investigate Bacterial Cell Wall Interactions

SaccuFlow is a high-throughput flow cytometry assay that evaluates bacterial peptidoglycan interactions, demonstrating compatibility with Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and mycobacterial sacculi.

Packed Like Sardines - How Surface Crowdedness Impacts Accessibility to Peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus

The paper introduces a live cell fluorescence assay to study molecular permeability through Staphylococcus aureus cell walls and finds that molecular flexibility and teichoic acids affect permeability.

pH-Dependent Grafting of Cancer Cells with Antigenic Epitopes Promotes Selective Antibody-Mediated Cytotoxicity

This study develops pH-dependent conjugates that graft antigenic epitopes onto cancer cells to enhance antibody-mediated cytotoxicity.