The Kruse Laboratory is dedicated to understanding infectious and metabolic disease via the development and integration of spatial technologies including mass spectrometry and microscopy. Although our interests and collaborators are diverse, current projects center on 1) the host-pathogen interface during Clostridioides difficile infection in the intestine, and 2) the molecular basis of islet and exocrine dysfunction in the diabetic pancreas.  

1) Clostridioides difficile is the number 1 cause of hospital acquired infection. People who have been infected with C. diff once have a 30% chance of becoming infected again, and we want to learn how and why this occurs. One way the C. diff bacterium persists in a host is by making biofilms that protect the bacteria from antibiotics and host immune cells. In collaboration with the Peritore-Galve Laboratory, we are using imaging mass spectrometry and microscopy to understand how the biochemical composition of C. diff biofilms impacts infection and recurrence.

2) Diabetes affects approximately 1 in 10 people in the United States and is associated with profound effects on the pancreas. The pancreas is an essential organ that helps digest the food we eat and regulate our blood glucose level and appetite. We use techniques like imaging mass spectrometry to understand what molecular pathways are impacted in the diabetic pancreas with the goal of identifying targets for improved diagnosis and treatment of this important disease. We are particularly interested in lipidomic and transcriptomic impacts on the endocrine-exocrine interface in the diabetic pancreas.