Professor Kirsten Nielsen

Cryptococcus neoformans is a human pathogenic fungus that causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals. The Nielsen laboratory combines molecular genetic and bioinformatic approaches to study how Cryptococcus causes disease, both in animal models and humans, to identify key aspects of cryptococcal virulence that can be targetted for novel treatment strategies aimed at blocking the progression of this important pathogen. To complete these experiments, this group uses the software packages available through MSI as well as computing resourses such as Mesabi.