About
Dr. Dolan studies microbial interactions in human infections, specifically complex communities formed by multiple species, resulting in polymicrobial infections. Dolan recently joined Clemson as an Assistant Professor in the Genetics and Biochemistry Department. His laboratory is located within Clemson University's Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center – an interdisciplinary research cooperative at the forefront of biomedical research on these devastating pathogens. Immediately prior to joining Clemson, Dr. Dolan was a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) postdoctoral fellow hosted in Dr. Marvin Whiteley’s laboratory at Georgia Tech and the Emory-Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Center, Atlanta, GA (2021-2023). Prior to moving his research to the US, Dolan was Herchel Smith research fellow at the University of Cambridge, hosted the laboratory of Dr. Martin Welch. This role allowed him to apply his comparative ‘omics experience to a key respiratory pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whilst also providing me with the skills to examine the physiology of multiple organisms in clinically relevant, fungal- bacterial interactions. Dolan was granted his PhD in 2016 from Maynooth University, Ireland, under the direction of Dr. Sean Doyle. For this work Dolan used comparative ‘omics and reverse genetics to characterize novel regulators of toxin production in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
Visit Dr. Dolan's Faculty Profile.
How their research is transforming health care
Dr. Dolan's primary research focus is on respiratory infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), where the abnormal mucus makes them susceptible to various bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Instead of studying a single model organism, Dolan intentionally pursued broad training on multiple co-infecting human pathogens (notably Aspergillus and Pseudomonas). This comprehensive approach allows Dolan to unravel the intricate mechanisms of communication between microbes during infection. Using clinical isolates from CF patients, Dr. Dolan is interested in how the physiology of both partners is altered upon co-culture in a recapitulated CF environment, when compared to monoculture. Dolan's aim is to leverage my unique cross- kingdom insight to unravel how fungi respond to bacteria (and vice-versa) and other cues found in polymicrobial environments. This approach will be instrumental in developing new therapeutic interventions to transform how we treat microbial infections. Pathogenic microbes pose significant burdens on healthcare and agriculture. Dolan's research aims to uncover the physiology and behavior of fungi during infections, particularly their interactions with bacteria. By gaining mechanistic insights into these fundamental processes, this work contributes to our understanding of microbial pathogenesis and enables the development of innovative strategies to combat these infections.
Health research keywords
Cystic fibrosis, microbial infection, fungi, bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, microbial interactions, lung infection
