Eric Pamer

Eric Pamer is a Professor in the Department of Medicine-Infectious Diseases at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on interactions between commensal bacteria and pathogenic microbes, emphasizing the microbiota's role in host immunity and clinical outcomes. His work has advanced understanding of how gut microbiota enhance resistance to antibiotic-resistant pathogens and influence outcomes in hematopoietic cell transplantation and cancer immunotherapy. Pamer's laboratory combines genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches with gnotobiotic mouse models to study microbiome functions.

• Education:
  • B.A. in Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 1977
  • M.D., Case Western School of Medicine, 1982
  • Postdoctoral training in Medicine/Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, 1990

Research Interests: The Pamer Lab investigates how commensal bacteria modulate host immune defenses, particularly through antimicrobial factors and metabolic interactions. Key areas include microbiota resilience against pathogens, the role of the microbiome in clinical settings like transplantation, and translational strategies to harness microbiota functions for therapy. Recent studies highlight mechanisms of colonization resistance and the therapeutic potential of lantibiotics and symbiotic bacterial consortia.

Grants & Collaborations: Pamer has led over 20 NIH-funded projects, including R01 grants on innate immune responses, microbial ecology, and clinical microbiome applications. He collaborates with the Duchossois Family Institute and clinical teams to translate microbiome research into clinical tools for predicting infection risk and improving outcomes in immunocompromised patients.

Labs & Teams: The Pamer Lab is affiliated with the University of Chicago's Department of Medicine, collaborating closely with the Duchossois Family Institute. Research teams focus on microbiome dynamics, pathogen inhibition, and translational microbiology.