University of Georgia
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Author: Donna Huber

Discovery and optimization of a novel carboxamide scaffold with selective antimalarial activity

Donna Huber on March 28, 2025

Artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) are critical components of malaria control worldwide. Alarmingly, ACTs have begun to fail, owing to the rise in artemisinin resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need for an expanded set of novel antimalarials to generate new combination therapies. Herein, we have identified a 1,2,4-triazole-containing carboxamide scaffold that, through scaffold hopping efforts, …

Type I interferons induce guanylate-binding proteins and lysosomal defense in hepatocytes to control malaria

Donna Huber on March 25, 2025

Plasmodium parasites undergo development and replication within hepatocytes before infecting erythrocytes and initiating clinical malaria. Although type I interferons (IFNs) are known to hinder Plasmodium infection within the liver, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we describe two IFN-I-driven hepatocyte antimicrobial programs controlling liver-stage malaria. First, oxidative defense by NADPH oxidases 2 and 4 triggers …

The Human Milk Oligosaccharide Lacto-N-Fucopentaose III Conjugated to Dextran Inhibits HIV Replication in Primary Human Macrophages

Donna Huber on March 12, 2025

Background/Objectives: Individuals with HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) with virologic suppression exhibit chronic immune activation and immune dysfunction. Numerous studies have shown that human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) controls the postnatal transmission of HIV-1, but its effect on adult HIV-1 infection is not known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-HIV activity …

Stable colonization of the model kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus by Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain

Donna Huber on March 12, 2025

Trypanosoma cruzi is a single-celled eukaryotic parasite responsible for Chagas disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Central and South America. While the host-pathogen interactions of T. cruzi have been extensively studied in vertebrate models, investigations into its interactions within its insect host remain limited. To address this gap and establish a genetically …

Jessica Kissinger named 2025 University Professor

Donna Huber on March 4, 2025

  CTEGD faculty member Jessica Kissinger earned the distinction of University Professor, a title bestowed on those who have made a significant impact on the university in addition to fulfilling their regular academic responsibilities. An integral voice on the university’s 2020 and 2025 strategic planning committees, Kissinger has championed initiatives designed to move UGA into …

The contribution of the Golgi and the endoplasmic reticulum to calcium and pH homeostasis in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on March 3, 2025

The cytosolic Ca2+ concentration of all cells is highly regulated demanding the coordinated operation of Ca2+ pumps, channels, exchangers and binding proteins. In the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii calcium homeostasis, essential for signaling, governs critical virulence traits. However, the identity of most molecular players involved in signaling and homeostasis in T. gondii are unknown or …

Evaluating the Benefits and Limits of Multiple Displacement Amplification With Whole-Genome Oxford Nanopore Sequencing

Donna Huber on February 28, 2025

Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) outperforms conventional PCR in long fragment and whole-genome amplification, making it attractive to couple MDA with long-read sequencing of samples with limited quantities of DNA to obtain improved genome assemblies. Here, we explore the efficacy and limits of MDA for efficient low-cost genome sequence assembly using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONTs) rapid …

A limitation lifted: A conditional knockdown system reveals essential roles for Polo-like kinase and Aurora kinase 1 in Trypanosoma cruzi cell division

Donna Huber on February 18, 2025

While advances in genome editing technologies have simplified gene disruption in many organisms, the study of essential genes requires development of conditional disruption or knockdown systems that are not available in most organisms. Such is the case for Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a severely neglected tropical disease endemic to Latin America …

Combined fluorescent in situ hybridization and F- ara-EdU staining on whole mount Hymenolepis diminuta

Donna Huber on February 13, 2025

Hymenolepis diminuta is a parasitic tapeworm that utilizes rats as hosts and offers advantages over human parasitic tapeworms and free-living flatworms as a model system to study the biology and pathology of helminth infections. H. diminuta is minimally infectious to humans, easy to maintain in the lab, demonstrates impressive growth, regeneration, and reproductive capabilities, and is amenable to …