Mentor(s): Joseph Carlin, Ph.D.

The silent epidemic caused by chlamydia can be resolved by producing efficient ways to diagnose patients with the disease; however, small discoveries must be made first. This research project used the fluorescent label, C5-BODIPY-ceramide, to distinguish between chlamydia-infected HeLa cells and uninfected HeLa cells. By using this label, we sorted and analyzed infected and uninfected cells, and also maintained their viability. The viability of these host cells is extremely important in future research because it allows researchers to examine chlamydia in an environment that more closely resembles their natural environment. Additionally, researchers can compare protein expression between infected and uninfected cells, thereby allowing us to measure the impact of chlamydia on their host cells. Therefore, researchers will be able to precisely examine the interactions between chlamydia and its host cell, which has the potential to further improve chlamydia testing and diagnostics. In this experiment, we used Chlamydia psittaci and worked on optimizing the variables, label concentration, and incubation duration, to ensure the effectiveness of labeling and viability of cells. We hypothesized that by working with these variables, we would be able to determine an optimized labeling process that would ensure proper cell sorting and analysis in the future. The results of this research indicated the potential fluorescent labeling has on the accurate diagnosis of Chlamydia infected cells. However, due to BODIPY’s accessibility constraints, it is beneficial to explore other labeling options. As a result, the potential to improve chlamydia testing, diagnosis, and analysis of its interactions with host cells is high. Ultimately, this research should help future researchers discover more efficient ways to diagnose chlamydia.

Explore the Project