DrKelly Rice

My research program focuses on bacterial physiology and gene regulation, and how these processes facilitate adaptation to stress encountered in both the external environment and in mammalian hosts. These discoveries will help pave the way for devising new or improved prevention and/or treatment strategies against bacterial infections. Current research projects include: (1) Determining contributions of Staphylococcus aureus endogenous nitric oxide (NO) to physiology, virulence, stress resistance and cell-signaling, (2) Investigating roles of CidAB and LrgAB in Streptococcus mutans oxidative stress resistance, biofilm development, metabolite transport, and interspecies competition, (3) Elucidating antimicrobial effects of lignin, and (4) Studying simulated microgravity and space flight environment effects on S. aureus and S. mutans physiology, quorum sensing, and biofilm formation.