Nicholas Cramer, Ph.D. Candidate
I attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where I received a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2019. My primary project is focused on the development of novel chimeric epitope-based vaccines and diagnostic antigens for ehrlichiosis. The Ehrlichia are intracellular tick-borne pathogens that infect different cell types in a diverse array of mammals, including humans, companion animals, livestock, and wildlife. My second project is focused on the genetic regulatory networks of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borreliella burgdorferi, a tick-borne pathogen. Using allelic exchange gene replacement and site-directed mutagenesis, I am deciphering the role of c-di-GMP and its binding proteins in the enzootic cycle. Collaborators on this project include scientists at the NIH, CDC, University of Montana, and University of Southern Alabama.