Neal Alto

Neal Alto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he leads an active research laboratory investigating bacterial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions.

Dr. Alto earned his PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Oregon Health and Sciences University in 2003, followed by postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at UC San Diego. He joined UT Southwestern as an Assistant Professor in Microbiology in 2007.

His research focuses on the cross-species communication between bacterial pathogens and human signal transduction systems. Key research areas include:

• Mechanisms of bacterial virulence factor delivery into host cells
• How bacterial effectors modify host cell signaling pathways
• Host cellular responses to bacterial infection
• Molecular mechanisms of pathogen-induced disease
• Immune evasion strategies employed by bacterial pathogens

Dr. Alto employs a multidisciplinary approach combining recombinant DNA techniques, protein chemistry, genetic model systems, fluorescent reporters, and live cell imaging to study host-pathogen interactions from molecular to cellular levels.

His laboratory has published significant findings in high-impact journals including Cell, Nature, and PNAS, with recent work focusing on gasdermin-mediated cell death pathways, bacterial effector proteins, and antiviral response mechanisms.