Sabine Pellett

Sabine Pellett is a Research Professor in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), their role in pathogenesis, and their pharmaceutical applications. She leads a lab continuing UW-Madison’s long-standing BoNT research program, initiated by pioneers like Ed Schantz and Eric Johnson. Her work includes toxin production, BoNT structure-function studies, countermeasure development (e.g., vaccines, inhibitors), and food safety research.

Education:

• B.S. Biology, University of Heidelberg (1995)
• M.A. Biology, Portland State University (1997)
• PhD in Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, UW-Madison (2004)
• Postdoctoral Research in Food Microbiology & Toxicology at UW-Madison

Research Interests: The Pellett lab explores BoNT mechanisms, including toxin production regulation, lateral gene transfer among Clostridium species, and novel BoNT-based pharmaceuticals. Key areas include developing vaccines (e.g., tetanus), small-molecule inhibitors, and advanced detection systems. Recent studies highlight neuronal toxin detection systems and the role of BoNT subtypes (e.g., A6, X) in preclinical models of nerve injury and pain.

Lab Team:

• Graduate Students: Anna Ardito, Madhushree Nanjegowda
• Research Specialists: Miriam Guevara, Syahmi Hisham, Becky Kaufman, Bill Tepp, Polrit Viravathana

Labs/Teams: The lab collaborates with experts in microbiology, chemistry, and pharmacology, leveraging state-of-the-art facilities in the Microbial Sciences Building. Ongoing projects include CRISPR-Cas system analysis in Clostridium species and bifunctional toxin inhibitors.