5/09/2019 Avery Young was awarded the 2019 Distinguished Undergraduate Achievement Award in Biology! Sadly Avery is leaving the lab (we're losing our lab photographer!!) but is happily pursuing medical training at UT Southwestern this fall! You can read more about Avery's passion for helping others here.
05/09/2019 Kathleen McAllister was awarded the Department of Biology's Roozbeh Arianpour Endowed Memorial Scholarship for overall excellence in research! Couldn't be happier for her. Well done Kathleen!
The Roozbeh Arianpour Memorial Scholarship in Biology was established in March 2004 by Mrs. Farideh Moharer Arianpour of Tyler, Texas in memory of her son. This scholarship will provide support for a full-time student pursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Biology.
The Roozbeh Arianpour Memorial Scholarship in Biology was established in March 2004 by Mrs. Farideh Moharer Arianpour of Tyler, Texas in memory of her son. This scholarship will provide support for a full-time student pursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Biology.
12/05/2018 After a delay due to a Presidential burial on campus... Ritu Shrestha successfully defended her thesis! Congratulations Dr. Shrestha!
11/28/2019 We had our annual Smorgnan holiday party! Too much food....
12/11/2018 Hailee Nerber joined the lab as a PhD student. Welcome to the lab Hailee!
12/01/2017 We had our annual Smorgnan holiday party (Sorg, Smith and Nan labs) & white elephant exchange. Good times by all! Safe travel to those traveling in the coming weeks!
11/07/2017 Kathleen's manuscript using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the C. difficile genome was published in Scientific Reports. For more information: Texas A&M-Led Team Develops Genetic System to Mutate Deadly Gut Bacteria, C. Diff
03/27/2017
Avery Young, an undergraduate in the lab, was featured in the Texas A&M University College of Science News.
02/28/2017
Sorg Lab in the news in the Texas A&M University College of Science.
02/17/2017
Dr. Michael Francis successful defended his thesis! Congratulations! Michael is off to a postdoctoral position at Baylor College of Medicine. He'll definitely be missed!
12/05/2016
We welcomed 2 new students! Marko Baloh and Andrea Martinez Aguirre joined as PhD students - welcome!
Avery Young, an undergraduate in the lab, was featured in the Texas A&M University College of Science News.
02/28/2017
Sorg Lab in the news in the Texas A&M University College of Science.
02/17/2017
Dr. Michael Francis successful defended his thesis! Congratulations! Michael is off to a postdoctoral position at Baylor College of Medicine. He'll definitely be missed!
12/05/2016
We welcomed 2 new students! Marko Baloh and Andrea Martinez Aguirre joined as PhD students - welcome!
12/01/2016
The Smorgnan labs (Leif Smith, Joe Sorg & Beiyan Nan) had their annual holiday party & white elephant gift exchange! A good time by all - too much food! Yes, early in the month for such celebrations but safe travels to Mengxin and Disha who will be traveling abroad over the Holiday break.
The Smorgnan labs (Leif Smith, Joe Sorg & Beiyan Nan) had their annual holiday party & white elephant gift exchange! A good time by all - too much food! Yes, early in the month for such celebrations but safe travels to Mengxin and Disha who will be traveling abroad over the Holiday break.
09/01/2016
Joe Sorg was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. This could not have been done without my laboratory. These hard-working people (past and present) make this such a wonderful job! Thank you to all who have been through the lab!
08/20/2016
New Funding! The lab received a 5-year award from the National Institutes of Health! Congratulations to all PIs involved!
Joe Sorg was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. This could not have been done without my laboratory. These hard-working people (past and present) make this such a wonderful job! Thank you to all who have been through the lab!
08/20/2016
New Funding! The lab received a 5-year award from the National Institutes of Health! Congratulations to all PIs involved!
07/14/2016
Disha Bhattacharjee was awarded 3rd place in the poster competition at the Anaerobe 2016 conference! Whoop!
Disha Bhattacharjee was awarded 3rd place in the poster competition at the Anaerobe 2016 conference! Whoop!
(Michael Francis, Husniye Kantarci, Prof. Rene Garcia)
05/13/2016
Michael Francis was awarded the Lawrence S. Dillon Distinguished Graduate Student award for his successes in both research and teaching! Congratulations to him!
Michael Francis was awarded the Lawrence S. Dillon Distinguished Graduate Student award for his successes in both research and teaching! Congratulations to him!
(Ritu Shrestha, Michael Francis, Kathleen McAllister, Dish Bhattacharjee)
03/07/2016
Kathleen McAllister and Disha Bhattacharjee both received travel awards from the Texas A&M University Department of Biology for their trips to ASM Microbe Meeting and 2016 Anaerobe, respectively. Congratulations!
02/29/2016
Joe Sorg was appointed as a Joint Assistant Professor in the Texas A&M Health Science Center Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology.
02/16/2016
Disha Bhattacharjee's paper "Re-examining the germination phenotypes of several Clostridium difficile strains suggests another role for the CspC germinant receptor" was published in the Journal of Bacteriology!
10/30/2015
Michael Francis was awarded 2nd place for the O.B. Williams Oral Presentation in General Microbiology at the American Society for Microbiology - Texas Branch meeting.
04/01/2015
New Funding! The lab received a 5-year award from the National Institutes of Health to study the mechanisms by which C. difficile spores germinate in response to host-derived bile acids.
11/07/2014
Michael Francis was awarded an Honorable Mention Poster Presentation on Gram-positives at the American Society for Microbiology - Texas Branch meeting.
8/1/2014
New Funding! The lab received a 1-year bridge award from the National Institutes of Health to study our ongoing projects on C. difficile spore germination.
8/29/2013
Texas A&M Biologist Fights Deadly Gut Bacteria, C. diff
"If you talk to people who have C. diff and are relapsing, they are miserable," Sorg said. "We want to make sure that we can eventually treat people and prevent them from relapsing, or even keep them from becoming infected in the first place. C. diff is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections now, so it's a big problem in the U.S. and other industrialized nations."
Joseph Sorg, Texas A&M biologist ---READ MORE
Kathleen McAllister and Disha Bhattacharjee both received travel awards from the Texas A&M University Department of Biology for their trips to ASM Microbe Meeting and 2016 Anaerobe, respectively. Congratulations!
02/29/2016
Joe Sorg was appointed as a Joint Assistant Professor in the Texas A&M Health Science Center Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology.
02/16/2016
Disha Bhattacharjee's paper "Re-examining the germination phenotypes of several Clostridium difficile strains suggests another role for the CspC germinant receptor" was published in the Journal of Bacteriology!
10/30/2015
Michael Francis was awarded 2nd place for the O.B. Williams Oral Presentation in General Microbiology at the American Society for Microbiology - Texas Branch meeting.
04/01/2015
New Funding! The lab received a 5-year award from the National Institutes of Health to study the mechanisms by which C. difficile spores germinate in response to host-derived bile acids.
11/07/2014
Michael Francis was awarded an Honorable Mention Poster Presentation on Gram-positives at the American Society for Microbiology - Texas Branch meeting.
8/1/2014
New Funding! The lab received a 1-year bridge award from the National Institutes of Health to study our ongoing projects on C. difficile spore germination.
8/29/2013
Texas A&M Biologist Fights Deadly Gut Bacteria, C. diff
"If you talk to people who have C. diff and are relapsing, they are miserable," Sorg said. "We want to make sure that we can eventually treat people and prevent them from relapsing, or even keep them from becoming infected in the first place. C. diff is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections now, so it's a big problem in the U.S. and other industrialized nations."
Joseph Sorg, Texas A&M biologist ---READ MORE