Jeffrey P. Henderson, MD, PhD

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

The Henderson laboratory uses interdisciplinary approaches to better understand infection pathogenesis and to identify new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. To do this, we combine patient-oriented studies with new biochemical approaches to identify how virulence-associated bacterial pathogens cause disease. Guided by these results, we seek a mechanistic understanding of infection physiology. Of particular interest are the multifunctional roles of small molecules associated with iron scavenging – called siderophores. New properties and host interactions have been identified for bacterial siderophores using a combination of biochemical and pathophysiologic approaches including mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, bacterial genetics, protein chemistry, and infection models.