Barbara Dusak

Barbara Dusak is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Section for Plant Biochemistry within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. Her research integrates molecular biology and biochemistry to investigate plant-pathogen interactions, with emphasis on effector proteins from pathogens like Puccinia striiformis and Candidatus Phytoplasma solani.

Her research interests span plant biochemistry, plant pathology, plant-microbe interactions, plant metabolism, and molecular plant sciences. She examines how pathogen-derived effectors manipulate host metabolic pathways—including carbohydrate metabolism, redox regulation via the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and autophagy—to facilitate infection. This work employs yeast-based screening, gene expression profiling, and biochemical assays to dissect molecular mechanisms in model systems like sorghum and wheat.

Recent publications reveal trends in characterizing pathogen effectors and their metabolic impacts. The 2025 study on sorghum CYP79A genes elucidates tissue-specific expression and substrate preferences in specialized metabolism, while the 2023 phytoplasma effector research demonstrates modulation of plant carbohydrate flux and oxidative stress responses. Both studies highlight translational applications for engineering disease-resistant crops.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Dr. Dusak operates within the Section for Plant Biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen, leveraging interdisciplinary collaborations for plant-pathogen research. Her work involves molecular screening platforms and metabolic phenotyping, contributing to broader efforts in sustainable agriculture through mechanistic insights into plant immunity.