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Author: Donna Huber

Evolutionary remodeling of ubiquinone biosynthesis in Toxoplasma gondii reveals an essential bi-functional monooxygenase

Donna Huber on May 8, 2026

Apicomplexan parasites like Toxoplasma gondii harbor a divergent mitochondrial proteome, much of which remains uncharacterized despite its essentiality for parasite survival. One such essential pathway is ubiquinone (UQ) biosynthesis. Here, we characterize the UQ synthesis machinery in T. gondii and show that conserved enzymes, TgCoq3 and TgCoq5, are essential for growth and mitochondrial function, and …

Identification of an Orally Efficacious Imidazo[4,5- c]pyridine-6-Carboxamide Antimalarial with a High Barrier to Resistance

Donna Huber on April 27, 2026

Due to the emergence of resistance to both artemisinin derivatives, and their partner drugs, new antimalarials are urgently needed. Ideally, new orally active antimalarials would not only engage new targets but also demonstrate a high barrier to resistance selection, and the ability to kill both proliferating rings and growth-arrested rings resulting from artemisinin exposure. In …

Vaccine elicitation of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies from genome-edited B cells in non-human primates and derived lymphoid organoids

Donna Huber on April 10, 2026

HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are promising reagents for prevention and therapy of disease; however, their elicitation is constrained by genetic limitations of the human B cell antigen-receptor (BCR) repertoire. Precision genome-editing offers a potential solution by enabling bnAb genes to be programmed into the BCR repertoire as IgH-modified B cells. Such cells can be …

Glycosomal Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase CRISPR/Cas9-Deletion and Its Role in Trypanosoma cruzi Metacyclogenesis and Infectivity in Mammalian Host

Donna Huber on March 12, 2026

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, possesses glycosomes-unique organelles that house key metabolic enzymes, several of which are promising therapeutic targets. Among them, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) plays a central role in succinic fermentation, the main pathway for NAD+ regeneration within the organelle. Using CRISPR/Cas9 editing, the PEPCK gene was disrupted in T. cruzi, …

Integrated Approaches to Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis and Other Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Islands

Donna Huber on February 27, 2026

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for global elimination as a public health problem. Sixteen Pacific Island countries and territories were historically endemic, and eight have now met the WHO criteria for elimination as a public health problem. Elimination as a public health problem does …

In the News: Sam Kurup

Donna Huber on February 27, 2026

Dr. Sam Kurup started his career at UGA as a graduate student, and now he is an associate professor in the Department of Cellular Biology. Learn more about his journey from mentee to mentor in this Red & Black article.

No effector is an island: joint action of Toxoplasma gondii secreted effectors in host immune subversion

Donna Huber on February 16, 2026

Combinatorial suppression of IFN-γ signaling by T. gondii nuclear effectors.   The molecular dialogue between host and pathogen is defined by competition for the intracellular niche. Toxoplasma gondii exemplifies this mastery by deploying secreted effectors to remodel host cell biology and neutralize immune defenses. Yet a striking paradox has emerged, in which, despite exporting only …