Dr. Marcelo Tolmasky, BiologICAL SCIENCE

Degrees

1979 M.Sc., Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
1982 Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
2008-present Director, Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies. College of Natural Science and Mathematics. California State University, Fullerton.
2006-2008 Associate Director for Research Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies. College of Natural Science and Mathematics. California State University, Fullerton.
2003-present Professor. Department of Biological Science. College of Natural Science and Mathematics. California State University, Fullerton.
1999-2003 Associate Professor. Department of Biological Science. College of Natural Science and Mathematics. California State University, Fullerton.
1995-1999 Assistant Professor. Department of Biological Science. College of Natural Science and Mathematics. California State University, Fullerton.
1992-1995 Research Assistant Professor. Dpt. of Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University.
1989-1992 Research Instructor. Dpt. of Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University.
1988-1989 Assistant Professor. Faculty of Sciences. University of Buenos Aires.
1987-1989 Member of the Research Career of the National Council of Research of Argentina.
2004-present Director of the International Research Training Program for the Los Angeles Basin (funded by the National Institutes of Health).
1998 - present Academic Visitor. Microbiology Unit. Department of Biochemistry. University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
2002-present Center for Microbial Sciences, San Diego, CA - Academic Affiliate
1995-present Instituto Fundación Leloir, Buenos Aires Argentina - Corresponding Investigator

Research Areas

Molecular mechanisms that contribute to the virulence of pathogenic bacteria or interfere with antibiotic treatment

Virulence (or pathogenicity) is the ability of a bacterium to cause disease, and the product(s) or mechanism(s) that contribute to the virulence of the bacterium are known as virulence factors. To establish a successful infection, a bacterial pathogen must overcome the adverse conditions posed by both, the host's defense mechanisms as well as therapeutic treatments. The natural defenses include specific and non-specific mechanisms directed to kill or deprive bacteria of necessary nutrients. In addition to these natural mechanisms, the presence of antibacterial agents, as a result of medical treatment, contributes to the hostility of the environment where the infecting bacteria must survive. Several virulence factors help the bacterium to overcome the hostile environment found in the host's body. Understanding different aspects of these virulence factors may lead to the development of novel treatments to combat bacterial diseases. We study the genetics and molecular biology of some virulence factors in various pathogens.

Publications

  1. M. S. Ramirez, M. Don, A. K. Merkier, A. J. C. Soler Bistué, A. Zorreguieta, D. Centrón, and M. E. Tolmasky. A naturally competent Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolate as a convenient model for genetic studies. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2010 48 1488-1490
  2. T. Tran, D. J. Sherratt, and M. E. Tolmasky. fpr, a deficient Xer recombination site from a Salmonella plasmid fails to confer stability by dimer resolution: comparative studies with the pJHCMW1 mwr site. Journal of Bacteriology 2010 192 883-887
  3. J. C. Alonso, and M. E. Tolmasky. Enzybiotics as selective killers of target bacteria. In Enzybiotics: Antibiotic Enzymes as Drugs and Therapeutics, (Villa, T. G. and Veiga-Crespo, P., Eds.), 2010, pp. 59-74. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
  4. L. A. Actis, M. E. Tolmasky, and J. H. Crosa. Vibriosis. In Fish Diseases and Disorders, vol. 3: Viral, Bacterial, and Fungal Infections, 2nd edition, (Woo, P. T. K. and Bruno, D. W., Eds.), 2010. CABI International, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8DE, England. In press.
  5. M. E. Tolmasky, L. A. Actis, and J. H. Crosa. Plasmid DNA replication. In Encyclopedia of Industrial Biotechnology: Bioprocess, Bioseparation, and Cell Technology, (Flickinger, M., Ed.), March 10, 2010. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY. In press.
  6. A. J. C. Soler Bistué, F. Martín, N. Vozza, H Ha, J. Joaquín, A. Zorreguieta, and M. E. Tolmasky. Inhibition of aac(6')-Ib-mediated amikacin resistance by nuclease resistant external guide sequences in bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA2009 106 13230-13235

Grants & Special Projects

  • 2010 Outstanding Professor CSUF 2009-2010
  • 2008 Faculty Marshal, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Commencement Exercises
  • 2007 Honorary Member of the Golden Key International Honor Society
  • 2007 Distinguished Professor. College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
  • 2007 Outstanding Scholarly and Creativity Award. Academic Affairs.
  • 2004 Outstanding Research. College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.