Research
Genomics-driven diagnostics for resistant infections
My research uses whole genome sequencing and emerging molecular technologies to improve how we diagnose and manage drug-resistant bacterial infections — particularly in places where conventional laboratory infrastructure is out of reach.
My early work built pipelines for large-scale sequencing of bacterial pathogens across diverse clinical settings, from hospital-wide surveillance of E. coli to a year of prospective sequencing in an intensive care unit. These studies revealed extensive genetic diversity within pathogenic species and cryptic transmission between patients, with implications for pathogenesis, infection control, and vaccine development.
I later turned to bacteria from international settings, especially carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Peru, to understand the genetic factors behind the very different rates of resistance seen around the world. That work led to my current focus: inexpensive, portable diagnostics that can be used in low-resource settings.
I am the inventor of BADLOCK (Bacterial and AMR Detection by SHERLOCK), a patent-pending CRISPR-Cas13a assay that identifies bacterial species and high-risk resistance genes directly from positive blood cultures using only a heat block and a basic fluorometer. Validation studies and implementation work in Lima, Peru are underway, supported by an NIH K08 Career Development Award.
- 2025Broad Innovation Fellow, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- 2024Innovator of the Year, Infectious Diseases Society of America
- 2024People's Choice Award, IDSA Idea Incubator
- 2024Maxwell Finland Award for Excellence in Research, Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society
- 2023Information Technology Award, Massachusetts Medical Society
- 2019Excellence in Teaching Award, UW Internal Medicine Residency
- 2016Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
- 2015Magnuson Scholar, University of Washington
- 2012Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Research Fellow
Consulting
Clinical and scientific expertise for legal and biotech teams
I consult for law firms and life-science organizations, combining a decade of front-line clinical practice with hands-on experience building and deploying diagnostics.
Medical-legal consulting
Complex cases rarely turn on a single fact. As an infectious diseases consultant, ICU attending, and hospitalist across academic and community hospitals, I bring deep clinical experience to understanding the nuances of what happened, and why.
- Medical-record review in infectious diseases, sepsis, critical care, and hospital medicine
- Standard-of-care assessment and clinical timeline reconstruction
- Hospital-acquired and drug-resistant infections; antibiotic choice and timing
- Clear explanations of complex medicine for non-clinical audiences
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases · Licensed in Massachusetts and Washington
Engaged by
- Kiernan Trebach LLP2026 – present
- Brassey Crawford2026 – present
- Stanlan Griffiths Aldridge2026 – present
Biotech & diagnostics advising
I understand the diagnostics field from assay creation through field deployment. As inventor of BADLOCK, I have taken a CRISPR-based assay from genomic target selection and bench development through clinical validation and implementation planning in Peru, and contributed to the field evaluation of a portable Mpox assay during the 2025 Sierra Leone outbreak.
- Assay design and target selection informed by bacterial genomics
- Analytical and clinical validation study design
- Deployment and implementation in resource-limited settings
- Antimicrobial resistance landscape, unmet clinical needs, and evidence synthesis
Patent-pending inventor · NIH K08 Principal Investigator · Broad Innovation Fellow
Engaged by
- CARB-XGlobal non-profit partnership accelerating new antibacterial therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics · 2024 – present
- DxLabDeveloper of the portable DxHub diagnostic platform · 2026 – present
- DynaMedEvidence-based clinical decision support resource · 2022 – present
- GuidepointExpert network; ad hoc consultations for investors and life-science companies
Publications
Selected publications
* Equal contribution. For a complete, up-to-date list see Google Scholar.
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A rapid, inexpensive diagnostic for bacterial pathogen and resistance detection in resource-limited settings
Science Advances 12, eaeb6630 (2026)
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Rapid development and field evaluation of a portable CRISPR-based assay for Mpox during the 2025 Sierra Leone outbreak
Nature Communications 17, 7241 (2026)
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Low-cost approaches for detecting antimicrobial resistance in bacterial infections in resource-limited settings: a scoping review
npj Antimicrobials and Resistance (2026)
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Cutting to the Chase
New England Journal of Medicine 394, e47 (2026)
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Infection risk associated with colonization by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: an umbrella review and meta-analysis
Open Forum Infectious Diseases 12(7):ofaf365
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Frequency of antibiotic overtreatment and associated harms in patients presenting with suspected sepsis to the emergency department: a retrospective cohort study
Clinical Infectious Diseases 80(6):1197–1207
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Antibody responses in Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection: a prospective cohort study
The Lancet Microbe 6(4):100988
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Complex sepsis presentations, SEP-1 compliance, and outcomes
JAMA Network Open 8(3):e251100
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Bioactivity of biofilm lifestyles in extreme environments Review
Frontiers in Microbiology 16 (2025)
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Pharmacology of bacterial cell wall synthesis Book chapter
Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy, 5th ed.
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Clinical pilot of bacterial transcriptional profiling as a combined genotypic and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility test
Journal of Clinical Microbiology 62(11):e0099724
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Clinical and genomic characterization of a cohort of patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection
Clinical Infectious Diseases 78(1):31–39
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Characterization of secondary bacterial infections and antibiotic use in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 induced acute respiratory distress syndrome
Journal of Intensive Care Medicine 36(10):1167–1175
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Whole genome sequencing of Peruvian Klebsiella pneumoniae identifies novel plasmid vectors bearing carbapenem resistance gene NDM-1
Open Forum Infectious Diseases 7(8):ofaa266
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A year of infection in the intensive care unit: prospective whole genome sequencing of bacterial clinical isolates reveals cryptic transmissions and novel microbiota
PLoS Genetics 11(7):e1005413
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Large-scale genomic sequencing of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli strains
Genome Research 25(1):119–128
PDFs are provided for personal, non-commercial scholarly use. Please cite the published version.
Clinical
Clinical activities
I am board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases and also draw on prior training as an intensivist. My clinical practice spans inpatient infectious diseases consultation, overnight ICU coverage, and hospital medicine.
Current
Previous
- 2024 – 2026Hospitalist · UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA
- 2024 – 2026Hospitalist · Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, MA
- 2019 – 2021ICU Attending & Nocturnist, Clinical Instructor in Critical Care · Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
Board certification & licensure
Teaching & Mentoring
Teaching and mentoring
Teaching
- 2026 – presentImmunity in Defense and Disease · Harvard Medical School
- 2025 – presentClin-Path-Micro Case Sessions · Harvard Medical School, medical students
- 2025 – presentIntro to Clinical Microbiology and Its Global Implications · Brigham and Women's Hospital, internal medicine residents
- 2023 – presentAntibiotics in the ICU: Antibiotics for the Critical Care Provider · MGH Critical Care Fellowship lecture series
- 2023 – presentAttending, Infectious Disease Consult Service · Brigham and Women's Hospital, supervising medical students, residents, and ID fellows
- 2023 – 2025Preceptor, Introduction to Clinical Medicine · Harvard–MIT HST, Harvard Medical School
- 2019 – 2021ICU Attending · University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center, supervising medical students and residents
Mentored trainees
Sole first author on a review in Frontiers in Microbiology and co-first author on BADLOCK in Science Advances; supported by Harvard College Research Program, MSI, PRISE, and Herchel Smith fellowships.
Thesis on gram-negative detection with SHERLOCK awarded Highest Honors; co-first author on BADLOCK in Science Advances.
Presented his project at one local and two national conferences; now a medical student at Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine.
Contact
Get in touch
For research collaborations, speaking, or consulting inquiries, please reach out by email or connect online.