Evolutionary/Comparative Genetics

BIOGRAPHY

Mark Adams received a B.A. in Chemistry from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC in 1984. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1990. His dissertation work involved characterization of the genes involved in branched-chain amino acid transport in Escherichia coli. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. J. Craig Venter at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH, Dr. Adams developed the expressed sequence tag (EST) methodology for rapid characterization of the expressed set of genes in a tissue.

As one of the founding scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research, Dr. Adams established and managed the large-scale DNA sequencing facility. The initial work focused on developing a large collection of ESTs from several hundred cDNA libraries. He also contributed extensively to determining the first genome sequence of a free-living organism, Haemophilus influenzae, as well as to several additional microbial genomes.In 1998, Dr. Adams co-founded Celera Genomics, where he was responsible for the DNA sequencing and genome annotation groups. In this role he directed the Drosophila, human, and mouse genome sequencing projects and the effort to re-sequence exons and regulatory regions of all human genes to identify novel functional SNPs.

Dr. Adams joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in 2003 as an Associate Professor.



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Research

His research interests focus around the evolution, mechanism, and detection of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative pathogens, particularly Acinetobacter baumannii. A. baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen that primarily causes pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals. Multidrug resistance in A. baumannii has increased dramatically in the last 10 years, with fewer viable therapeutic options available for physicians. Comparative genome analysis revealed a set of more than 400 genes that are shared among clinical isolates of A. baumannii but are absent from the related non-pathogen Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 and that may contribute to A. baumannii's role as a human pathogen. Analysis of resistance determinants showed that resistance genes are often clustered into genomic islands of quite variable composition that are defined by continuing ongoing lateral gene transfer. Rapid detection of resistance genes in clinical isolates should facilitate more effective selection of antimicrobial therapy. Dr. Adams group also works on the genetic and biochemical basis for resistance to the 'last line' antimicrobial colistin.