Dr. White’s program investigates how the pathogenic fungi interact with the host during colonization and disease, with an emphasis on current therapies and how the fungi develops resistance to those therapies.
Research
Dr. White's research program is focused on pathogenic yeasts including Candida albicans, the causative agent of oral thrush (candidiasis) in HIV-infected patients, in newborns and the elderly and the major cause of vaginal yeast infections in healthy and immune-compromised women.
With a current research focuses on the interactions between antifungal drugs and the pathogenic fungi, Dr. White studies these interactions by focusing on fungi that have developed resistance to these drugs, or study cells as they develop resistance. Recent areas of analysis have included how the drug interacts with the target enzyme, how the drug is exported or effluxed from the cell, and most recently how the drug is imported into the fungal cell. Current effects are focused on the gene regulation that controls import, export and the target enzyme and its corresponding metabolic pathway. Understanding the transcriptional regulation may allow future drug development of drugs that are more effective, or that avoid the development of resistance.
Dr. White has also recently headed the international effort to sequence five species of dermatophytes. Dermatophytes are the cause of athlete’s foot, jock itch and other skin infections. These efforts also include experiments to molecularly manipulate these fungi so that we can study how these fungi respond to drug, and to develop a basic virulence assay for dermatophytes that complements the current guinea pig assay.
Themes
- Drug resistance
- Virulence
- Transcriptional Regulation
Dr. White’s research is currently supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Biography
Education
Ph.D. Cellular & Molecular Biology University of Michigan
B.S. Genetics and Biochemistry Cornell University
Professional Experience
- Member, Interdepartmental Program in Pathobiology, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 2008-Present
- Affiliate Professor, Department of Global Health, University of Washington (begins 7/1/08). Note: In 2008, the University changed all regular University appointments that were off campus at Seattle BioMed to affiliate appointments. 2008-Present
- Affiliate Professor, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Note: In 2008, the University changed all regular University appointments that were off campus at Seattle Biomed to affiliate appointments. 2008-Present
- Affiliate Professor, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Washington. Note: In 2008, the University changed all regular University appointments that were off campus at Seattle BioMed to affiliate appointments. 2008-Present
- Director, Emerging Infections Program, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 2008-Present
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Global Health, University of Washington. 2007-2008
- Director, Microbial Pathogens Program, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 2006-2008
- Full Professor, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, 2005-2008
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, 2005-2008
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, 2005-2008
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, 2004-2005
- Full Member, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 2003-Present
- Associate Professor, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, 2001-2005
- Associate Member, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 2000-2003
- Senior Scientist, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 1999-2000
- Faculty member, Molecular and Cellular Biology Interdepartmental Program, University of Washington, 1998-Present
- Staff Scientist, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 1996-99
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, 1996-2001
- Cold Spring Harbor Yeast Genetic Course, Cold Spring Harbor, July 25 to August 14, 1995
- Assistant Research Molecular Biologist Step II. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California at San Francisco, 1994-95
- Assistant Research Molecular Biologist Step I, 1991-94
- Postgraduate Researcher, Dr. Nina Agabian's Laboratory, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 1990-91
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Nina Agabian's Laboratory, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 1989-90
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. C.C. Wang's Laboratory, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 1988-89
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Piet Borst's Laboratory, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1985-87
Honors and Awards
- Elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology, 2009
- University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine Outstanding Mentor Award, 2006
- University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine
- Department of Pathobiology Teaching Award, 2005
- M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust New Investigator Award, “Antifungal resistance in the HIV-infected population”, 1997-99
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund New Investigator Award in Molecular Pathogenic Mycology, “Transcriptional Regulation of Drug Resistance in Candida albicans”, 1997-2000
- UniversityWide AIDS Research Program, State of California New Investigator Award, "AIDS-Related Candidiasis: Mechanisms of Drug Resistance", 1992-1994
- Center For AIDS Research, University of California - San Francisco New Investigator Award, "AIDS Associated Candidiasis: Proteins Involved in Invasion", 1990-1991
- National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "Structure and function of telomeres in trypanosomes", 1985-1987
- Edwin H. Edwards Scholarship, University of Michigan, 1983
- Burton L. Baker Cancer Fellowship, University of Michigan Cancer Institute, 1982-1983
- Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, 1981- 1982
- National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Training Program, Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University Of Michigan, 1978-1981
Field of study
As a molecular biologist and geneticist, I have always been interested in single celled organisms with a nucleus (eukaryotes). My expertise is in pathogens associated with AIDS, and in fungi - yeasts and molds.
Staff
Kris Blair, Research Technician II
Janice Cho, Research Technician I
Sam Hoot, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scientist
Brian Oliver, Ph.D., Staff Scientist
Rebecca Rashid, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scientist
Adam Smith, Research Technician II
Baisy Tirado, Lab Assistant
Dani Vinh, Ph.D., Research Associate
Accomplishments & Collaborations
Accomplishments
- Identification and/or characterization of several unique stages in the development of resistance, including transient resistance, heterogeneous resistance, trailing, and inducible resistance.
- Identification of a linkage between Candida drug resistance and Candida mating loci, suggesting a linkage between the Candida sexual cycle and resistance.
- Characterization of biochemical pathways important for Candida drug resistance that are also important in cholesterol metabolism in humans.
- Identified the mechanism of drug import into pathogenic fungi
- Completed the genomic sequencing of five species of dermatophyte, the cause of athlete’s foot
- Characterized the transcriptional regulation that controls sterol metabolism in fungi, with similarities to mammalian sterol metabolism.
These accomplishments will be useful for:
- Improved diagnostics. It may be possible to develop molecular tools that would allow the quick and efficient diagnosis of resistance in clinical isolates.
- Improved prevention of resistance. Given current information, it is possible to make predictions about how to treat patients while avoiding the development of resistance.
- Improved therapies for the treatment of infections that are resistant to drugs.
- Insights into drug resistance strategies for other fungi.
