Ph.D Candidate
Jalisa Nurse is a loving wife, mother, and passionate research student. Her interests in scientific research was peaked at a very early age because of witnessing her maternal grandmothers’ rapidly declining health along with an overwhelming desire to help her. She has a master’s degree in Biology, and is a current doctoral student in the Biology department at Howard University. Her research is guided under Dr. Karl Thompson in the Microbiology department at Howard Medical School. Her work is focused on gene regulatory mechanisms involved in envelope stress. The cell envelope is a major part of the bacterial cell wall and is also a target of antibiotics like penicillin and its derivatives. Therefore, the significance of her work, is that in identifying regulatory factors that affect the cell wall may assist in characterizing the dynamics of the membrane and the development of novel antibiotics. In addition, nitric oxide is a chemical effector of immune cells during infection. Understanding how nitric oxide influences membrane integrity may also assist us in understanding how bacteria evades the immune response and causes disease. This basic information is critical in developing novel antibacterial strategies and therapeutics. Post-graduation from Howard University with a terminal degree, she plans to pursue a career in Cancer genetics.
Contact Information: jalisa.taylor@bison.howard.edu