Mengfei Ho

Mengfei Ho serves as a Research Assistant Professor and Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Illinois. With 55 total research outputs, Dr. Ho has established expertise in bacterial pathogenesis and toxin mechanisms, particularly focusing on Pasteurella multocida Toxin and cytotoxic necrotizing factors.

Dr. Ho's research spans multiple critical areas of microbiology and molecular pathogenesis. Their work investigates how bacterial toxins interact with host cellular machinery, with specific emphasis on:

• Mechanisms of cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF) toxins
• Protein modification through deamidation and transglutamination
• Endosomal escape pathways of bacterial toxins
• Microbial genomics of drug-resistant pathogens
• Development of computational methods for toxin identification
• Molecular interactions between bacterial toxins and host G proteins

Recent publications demonstrate Dr. Ho's innovative approaches combining molecular biology, biochemistry, and computational methods to address fundamental questions in bacterial pathogenesis. Their 2024 work on hierarchical determinants in CNF toxins and machine learning applications for toxin identification represents cutting-edge research in the field.

Dr. Ho actively collaborates with Dr. B. A. Wilson and other researchers, with publications appearing in high-impact journals including mBio, Molecular Systems Biology, and Journal of Biological Chemistry. Their research has garnered significant attention, with multiple publications receiving substantial readership on academic platforms like Mendeley and coverage in news outlets.

The research fingerprint analysis confirms Dr. Ho's specialization in Pasteurella multocida Toxin (100% weighting), Pasteurella multocida (86%), and G Protein interactions (47%), positioning them at the forefront of bacterial toxin research. Current work appears focused on understanding molecular determinants of toxin function and developing novel approaches for identifying and characterizing bacterial virulence factors.