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George A. O'Toole Jr, PhD

Title(s)
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Department(s)
Microbiology and Immunology

Education
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ph.D., 1994
Cornell University, B.S., 1988

After postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard Medical School, Dr. O'Toole joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology at Dartmouth Medical School in 1999.

Programs
Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Programs

Websites
O'Toole Lab
Microbiology and Molecular Pathogenesis Program
Dept of Microbiology & Immunology
Molecular Cellular Biology Grad Program

Contact Information

Geisel School of Medicine
Remsen Building, Rm 202 - HB 7550
Hanover NH 03755

Office: 202 Remsen
Phone: 603-650-1248
Email: georgeo@Dartmouth.Edu


Professional Interests

The main focus of the O'Toole laboratory is the study of complex surface-attached bacterial communities known as biofilms. Biofilms can form on a wide variety of surfaces including catheter lines, surgical implants, contact lenses, the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis, industrial and drinking water pipelines, and on the surfaces of plant roots. In most natural, clinical, and industrial settings bacteria live predominantly in biofilms and not as planktonic (free-swimming) cells such as those typically studied in the laboratory. Bacteria growing in biofilm communities are of great interest to the medical community, because these bacteria become highly resistant to antibiotics by an as yet unknown mechanism. Although much has been learned about the types of microbes that can form biofilms, the morphology of these communities, and their chemical/physical properties, until recently little was known about the molecular genetic basis of biofilm formation or antibiotic resistance.

Studies in the O'Toole lab focus on:
>Polymicrobial infections and antibiotic tolerance in cystic fibrosis.
>The role of gut microbiota in airway disease in infants with cystic fibrosis.
>The signal transduction pathways regulating biofilm formation and surface sensing.
>The role of the intracellular signaling molecule c-di-GMP in controlling biofilm formation by Pseudomonads.


Selected Publications

 

Interplay of virulence factors and signaling molecules: albumin and calcium-mediated biofilm regulation in Bordetella bronchiseptica.
Mugni SL, Ambrosis N, O Toole GA, Sisti F, Fernandez J
J Bacteriol. 2025 Apr 17;207(4):e0044524. doi: 10.1128/jb.00445-24. Epub 2025 Mar 26.
PMID: 40135913

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2025 Apr 23;91(4):e0046725. doi: 10.1128/aem.00467-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013896

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Feb 27;13(5):e0056825. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00568-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013887

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
J Virol. 2025 Apr 15;99(4):e0037625. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00376-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013883

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2025 Apr 2;69(4):e0031925. doi: 10.1128/aac.00319-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013880

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2025 Apr 24;26(1):e0006725. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00067-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013875

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2025 Apr 10;14(4):e0019925. doi: 10.1128/mra.00199-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013873

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2025 Mar 27;89(1):e0007225. doi: 10.1128/mmbr.00072-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013872

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Infect Immun. 2025 Apr 8;93(4):e0010025. doi: 10.1128/iai.00100-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013870

A call for the United States to continue investing in science.
Blader I, Goodrum F, Imperiale MJ, Casadevall A, Arias CA, Baumler A, Burnham C-AD, Cuomo CA, Detweiler CS, Forrest GN, Gilbert JA, Lovett S, Maloy S, McAdam A, Newton I, Reguera G, O'Toole GA, Schloss PD, Shade A, Whiteley M
Clin Microbiol Rev. 2025 Feb 27;:e0004425. doi: 10.1128/cmr.00044-25. Epub 2025 Feb 27.
PMID: 40013868

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