Gerald Bryan Pier

Gerald Bryan Pier is a Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis, vaccine development, and host-pathogen interactions. Key areas include studying Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients, Staphylococcus aureus, and other antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Pier's lab investigates surface polysaccharides like PNAG as vaccine candidates and explores immune responses using live attenuated strains. His work integrates molecular genetics, transposon sequencing, and animal models to understand bacterial fitness and infection processes.

Research highlights include defining the role of CFTR as a host receptor for P. aeruginosa, developing polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines, and characterizing PNAG-based immunotherapies. The lab also employs systems biology approaches to analyze gene expression and regulatory networks in pathogens.

Program affiliations include the Microbiology discipline at Harvard Medical School, with expertise in Cell Biology and Molecular Biology. The lab is located at Channing Labs, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and maintains a dedicated website for further details.