Dartmouth Medical School - Faculty Database

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David J. Bzik, Ph.D.

Title(s):
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Department(s):
Microbiology and Immunology

Education:
Pennsylvania State University, PHD 1983
Pennsylvania State University, MS 1980
Lehigh University, BA 1977

Dr. Bzik received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Lehigh University in 1977, and his Ph.D. degree in Biophysics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983. After postdoctoral work as a European Molecular Biology Organization long-term fellow at the MRC Virology Unit at Glasgow University, Dr. Bzik joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology at Dartmouth Medical School in 1988.

Programs:
Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Programs

Websites:
http://dms.dartmouth.edu/microbio/
http://dms.dartmouth.edu/immuno/
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mcb/

Contact Information:

Dartmouth Medical School Borwell Research Bldg. HB 7556 1 Medical Center Drive Lebanon NH 03756
Phone: 603-650-7951 Fax: 603-650-6223 Email: David.J.Bzik@Dartmouth.EDU

Selected Publications:

Gigley JP, Fox BA, Bzik DJ
Long-term immunity to lethal acute or chronic type II Toxoplasma gondii infection is effectively induced in genetically susceptible C57BL/6 mice by immunization with an attenuated type I vaccine strain.
Infect Immun 2009 Dec; 77(12):5380-8
PMID: 19797073 [PubMed - in process]

Fox BA, Ristuccia JG, Gigley JP, Bzik DJ
Efficient gene replacements in Toxoplasma gondii strains deficient for nonhomologous end joining.
Eukaryot Cell 2009 Apr; 8(4):520-9
PMID: 19218423 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Gigley JP, Fox BA, Bzik DJ
Cell-mediated immunity to Toxoplasma gondii develops primarily by local Th1 host immune responses in the absence of parasite replication.
J Immunol 2009 Jan 15; 182(2):1069-78
PMID: 19124750 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fox BA, Ristuccia JG, Bzik DJ
Genetic identification of essential indels and domains in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II of Toxoplasma gondii.
Int J Parasitol 2009 Apr; 39(5):533-9
PMID: 18992249 [PubMed - in process]

Belperron AA, Fox BA, O'Neil RH, Peaslee KA, Horii T, Anderson AC, Bzik DJ
Toxoplasma gondii: generation of novel truncation mutations in the linker domain of dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase.
Exp Parasitol 2004 Mar-Apr; 106(3-4):179-82
PMID: 15172226 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fox BA, Gigley JP, Bzik DJ
Toxoplasma gondii lacks the enzymes required for de novo arginine biosynthesis and arginine starvation triggers cyst formation.
Int J Parasitol 2004 Mar 9; 34(3):323-31
PMID: 15003493 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fox BA, Bzik DJ
Organisation and sequence determination of glutamine-dependent carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II in Toxoplasma gondii.
Int J Parasitol 2003 Jan; 33(1):89-96
PMID: 12547350 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fox BA, Horii T, Bzik DJ
Plasmodium falciparum: fine-mapping of an epitope of the serine repeat antigen that is a target of parasite-inhibitory antibodies.
Exp Parasitol 2002 May; 101(1):69-72
PMID: 12243740 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Fox BA, Bzik DJ
De novo pyrimidine biosynthesis is required for virulence of Toxoplasma gondii.
Nature 2002 Feb 21; 415(6874):926-9
PMID: 11859373 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Professional Interests:

GENETIC ANALYSIS OF HOST-PARASITE INTERACTIONS

Our major research interests involve the molecular mechanisms of parasite pathogenesis. We focus on the protozoan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum. These apicomplexan parasites represent a paradigm of obligate intracellular infectious disease agents. Plasmodium falciparum causes a devastating form of human malaria which infects vast numbers of people and causes significant morbidity (adults and children) and mortality (mainly children). Toxoplasma gondii infection causes severe congenital defects in infants and death in HIV/AIDS patients. Current research projects include the following: developmental regulation of parasite virulence factors; identification of new parasite virulence determinants; development of new tools to facilitate genetic analysis of parasite pathogens; mechanisms, regulation and drug discovery in pyrimidine and purine acquisition pathways; design of vaccine components based on secreted antigens; novel parasite enzymes: mechanisms, regulation and drug discovery; creation and evaluation of live attenuated parasite vaccines; taming and targeting parasites for cancer gene therapy. Visit the Molecular Pathogenesis Website.

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