Chad Euler, PhD

• The Rockefeller University, Post-doc (2010-2014)
• The Rockefeller University, Ph.D. 2010
• University of Vermont, B.S. 1999

• MLSP 351 Clinical Microbiology I Lecture and Labs
• MLSP 352 Clinical Microbiology II Lecture and Labs
• MLS 480 MLS Independent Study
• MLS 490 MLS Honors Research
• MLS Department Undergraduate Advisor

Dr. Euler's research focus is bactoriophage. Bacteriophage are ubiquitous viruses that can infect, modify, and/or kill bacteria, thereby modulating bacterial survival and pathogenesis. Utilizing a combination of microbiology, immunology, and protein engineering, the Euler laboratory seeks to exploit millions of years of co-evolution and interactions of these organisms to develop innovative diagnostics, new antimicrobials, and a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in bacterial disease. Our lab currently focuses on three main projects:

• The Role of Bacteriophage in Bacterial Pathogenesis and Evolution: Streptococcus pyogenes is a major pathogen responsible for various diseases differing in severity and symptoms (strep throat, toxic shock, and flesh-eating disease). Although the mechanisms of this variability are unknown, the most significant genetic variation among these bacteria are the integrated bacteriophage. Using a combination of molecular genome engineering and computational biology, we derived unique mutants that have helped identify bacteriophage as potential reservoirs for new bacterial regulators of metabolism, survival, and virulence. We are currently analyzing gene expression and phenotypic differences in our mutants to reveal further bacteriophage influence on streptococcal survival, evolution, and pathogenicity.
• Bacteriophage Lysins as Novel Antimicrobials: Beyond analyzing how bacteriophage increase disease, we are also exploiting the curative properties of bacteriophage proteins as a new class of antibiotics. Used by viruses to rupture bacteria for escape, our recombinant lysins are rapidly acting enzymes that specifically target and kill pathogens, while leaving normal flora unharmed. Currently, we are testing our lysins against several types of multidrug-resistant infections (Streptococci, MRSA, Clostridium difficile, and ESKAPE pathogens).
• Diagnosing Children Predisposed to Rheumatic Fever: Rheumatic Fever (RF) is a post-streptococcal autoimmune disease that may be amplified by bacteriophage-encoded superantigens, which non-specifically activate our immune system. RF is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children, affecting >34 million people worldwide. There are currently no diagnostic tests to determine the susceptibility of individuals to develop RF after a strep throat. We are using a combination of proteomics and RNA sequencing to identify unique biomarkers on lymphocytes from patients with RF to discover new diagnostics that can aid in the prevention and treatment of this devastating disease.

• 2024:       
  • Workman R.E., M.J. Stoltzfus, N.C. Keith, C. W. Euler, J. Bondy-Denomy, J.W. Modell. Anti-CRISPR proteins trigger a burst of CRISPR-Cas9 expression that enhances phage defense, Cell Reports. 2024. Mar  26;43(3):113849. 
• 2023:  
  • Euler C.W., A. Raz, A. Hernandez, A. Serrano, S. Xu, M. Andersson, G. Zou, Y. Zhang, V.A. Fischetti , J. Li.  2023 PlyKp104, a Novel Phage Lysin for the Treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Other Gram-Negative ESKAPE Pathogens. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2023 May 17;67(5):e01519-22.
• 2022:
  • Heselpoth R.D.*, C.W. Euler *, V.A. Fischetti. 2022. PaP1, a Broad-Spectrum Lysin-Derived Cationic Peptide to Treat Polymicrobial Skin Infections. Front Microbiol.2022;13:817228. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.817228.
    *Co-First Authors.
  • Ryan P.A., D. McGrath, C.W. Euler. 2022. Watch your Strep: Streptococcus pyogenes is a preventable cause of maternal death. Future Microbiol. 2022 Mar;17:319-323. doi: 10.2217/fmb-2021-0318.
• 2021:
  • Varble A, E. Campisi, C.W. Euler, P. Maguin, A. Kozlova, J. Fyodorova, J.T Rostøl, V.A. Fischetti, L.A. Marraffini. 2021. Prophage integration into CRISPR loci enables evasion of antiviral immunity in Streptococcus pyogenes. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Dec;6(12):1516-1525. doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-00996 8. Epub 2021 Nov 24. PubMed PMID: 34819640.
  • Workman, R.E., T. Pammi, B.T.K. Nguyen, L.W. Graeff, E. Smith, S.M. Sebald, M.J. Stoltzfus, C.W. Euler, and J.W. Modell. 2021. A natural single-guide RNA repurposes Cas9 to autoregulate CRISPR-Cas expression. Cell, Jan 6;S0092-8674(20)31687-1.doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.12.017.
• 2020:
  • Islam, M.S., X. Yang, C.W. Euler, X. Han, J. Liu, I.H. Md., Y. Zhou, and J. Li. 2020. Application of a novel phage ZPAH7 for controlling multidrug-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila on lettuce and reducing biofilms. Food Control, S0956-7135(20)30701-5.
  • Cheleuitte-Nieves C., L. Diaz, M . Pardos de la Gandara, A. Gonzalez, W. Freiwald, H. de Lencastre, A. Tomasz , and C.W. Euler. 2020. Evaluation of Topical Lysostaphin as a Novel Treatment for Instrumented Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Comparative Medicine, 99; 9; doi 10.30802/AALAS-CM-19-000102.
  • Ghose, C. and C.W. Euler. 2020. Gram-Negative Bacterial Lysins. Antibiotics, 9, 74; doi:10.3390/antibiotics.9020074.
• 2019:
  • Raz, A., A.Serrano, A. Hernandez, C.W. Euler, V.A. Fischetti. 2019. Isolation of phage lysins that effectively kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mouse models of lung and skin infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. April 22; Doi: 10.1128/AAC.00024-19.
  • Heselpoth, R.D., C.W. Euler, R. Schuch, V.A. Fischetti. 2019. Lysocins: bioengineered antimicrobials that deliver lysins across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 63(6), e00342-19. Doi: 10.1128/AAC.00342-19.
  • Gandara, M. P., L. Diaz, C.W. Euler, M. Chung, A. Gonzalez, C. Cheleuitte, W. Freiwald, A.Tomasz, V. A. Fischetti, and H. de Lencastre. 2019. Staphylococcus aureus Infecting and Colonizing Experimental Animals -Macaques - in a Research Animal Facility. Microbial Drug Resistance. 25 (1), 54-62.
• 2018:
  • Sela, U., C.W. Euler; J. Correa da Rosa and V.A. Fischetti. 2018. Strains of bacterial species induce a greatly varied acute adaptive immune response: the contribution of the accessory genome. PLoS Pathogens. 14 (1):e1006726.
• 2017:
  • Gilmer, D., J. Schmitz, C.W. Euler, and V.A. Fischetti. 2017. The phage lysin PlySs2 decolonizes Streptococcus suis from murine intranasal mucosa. PLoS One. Jan 12(1):e0169180.
• 2016:
  • Thandar, M,. R. Lood , B.Y. Winer, D.R. Deutsch, C.W. Euler, V.A. Fischetti. 2016 Novel Engineered Peptides of a Phage Lysin as Effective Antimicrobials against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. Apr 22; 60(5):2671-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02972-15.
  • Euler, C.W., B. Juncosa, P.A. Ryan, D.R. Deutsch, W.M. McShan and V.A. Fischetti. 2016. Targeted Curing of All Lysogenic Bacteriophage from Streptococcus pyogenes Using a Novel Counter-selection Technique. PLoS One. 11(1):e0146408.
• 2015:
  • C. Hendrickson*, C.W. Euler*, S. Nguyen, M. Rahman, C.J. King, K. McCullor, C. Land, V.A. Fischetti, and W.M. McShan. 2015. Reversal of mutator phenotype in Streptococcus pyogenes strain SF370 by elimination of chromosomal island SpyCIM1. PLoS One. 10(12): e0145884.
    *Co-First Authors
  • Wang Q, C.W. Euler, A. Delaune, V.A. Fischetti. 2015. Using a Novel Lysin To Help Control Clostridium difficile Infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 59: 7447-57.
  • R. Díez-Martínez, H.D. de Paz, E. García-Fernández, N. Bustamante, C.W. Euler, V.A. Fischetti, M. Menéndez, and P. García. 2015. A novel chimeric phage lysin with high in vitro and in vivo bactericidal activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae. J. of Antimicrob Chemother. 70: 1763-73.
  • R. Lood, B.Y. Winer, A.J. Pelzek, R. Diez-Martinez, M. Thandar, C.W. Euler, R. Schuch, and V.A. Fischetti. 2015. Novel phage lysins capable of killing the multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii in a mouse bacteremia model. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 59: 1983-91.
• 2014:
  • Bikard, D., C.W. Euler, W. Jiang, P.M. Nussenzweig, G.W. Goldberg, Xavier Duportet, V.A. Fischetti, and L. A. Marraffini. 2014. Exploiting CRISPR-Cas nucleases to produce sequence-specific antimicrobials. Nature Biotechnology. 32: 1146-1150.
  • Lood, R., A. Raz, H. Molina, C.W. Euler, and V.A. Fischetti. 2014. A highly active and negatively charged Streptococcus pyogenes lysin with a rare D-alanyl-L alanine endopeptidase activity protects mice against streptococcal bacteremia. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 58: 3073-84.
• 2013:
  • Gilmer, D., J.E. Schmitz, C.W. Euler, and V.A. Fischetti. 2013. Novel Bacteriophage Lysin with Broad Lytic Activity Protects Against Mixed Infection by Streptococcus pyogenes and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 547: 2743-50.
  • Schuch, R., A.J. Pelzek, A. Raz, C.W. Euler, P.A. Ryan, B.Y. Winer, A. Farnsworth, S.S. Bhaskaran, C.E. Stebbins, Y. Xu, A. Clifford, D. J. Bearss, H. Vankayalapati, A.R. Goldberg, and V.A. Fischetti. 2013. Use of a bacteriophage lysin to identify a novel target for antimicrobial development. PLOS ONE. 8: e60754.
• 2011:
  • Pastagia, M., C. Euler, P. Chahales, J. Duculan, J. Krueger, and V. A. Fischetti. A Novel Chimeric Lysin shows superiority to Mupirocin for Skin Decolonization of Antibiotic Resistant (MRSA) and Sensitive (MSSA) Staphylococcus aureus. 2011 Antimicrob Agents Chemother 55: 738-744
• 2010:
  • Daniel, A.*, C. Euler*, C., M. Collin, P. Chahales, K.J. Gorelick, and V.A. Fischetti. 2010. Synergism between a novel chimeric lysin and oxacillin protects against infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 54: 1603-12.
    *Co-First Authors
• 2007:
  • Euler, C.W., P.A. Ryan, J. M. Martin, and V.A. Fischetti. 2007. M.SpyI, a DNA methyltransferase encoded on a mefA chimeric element, modifies the genome of Streptococcus pyogenes. J Bacteriol 189: 1044- 54.
  • Ryan, P.A., B.W. Kirk, C.W. Euler, R. Schuch, and V.A. Fischetti. 2007. Novel algorithms reveal streptococcal transcriptomes and clues about undefined genes. PLoS Comput Biol 3: e132.
• 2006:
  • William, J., C. Euler, N. Primarolo, and M.J. Shlomchik. 2006. B cell tolerance checkpoints that restrict pathways of antigen-driven differentiation. J Immunol 176: 2142-51.
• 2005:
  • William, J., C. Euler, E. Leadbetter, A. Marshak-Rothstein, and M.J. Shlomchik. 2005. Visualizing the onset and evolution of an autoantibody response in systemic autoimmunity. J Immunol 174: 6872-8.
  • William, J., C. Euler, and M.J. Shlomchik. 2005. Short-lived plasmablasts dominate the early spontaneous rheumatoid factor response: differentiation pathways, hypermutating cell types, and affinity maturation outside the germinal center. J Immunol 174: 6879-87.
• 2004:
  • Haberman, A.M., J. William, C. Euler, and M.J. Shlomchik. 2003. Rheumatoid factors in health and disease: structure, function, induction and regulation. Curr Dir Autoimmun 6: 169-95.
• 2003:
  • Shlomchik, M.J., C.W. Euler, S.C. Christensen, and J. William. 2003. Activation of rheumatoid factor (RF) B cells and somatic hypermutation outside of germinal centers in autoimmune-prone MRL/lpr mice. Ann N Y Acad Sci 987: 38-50.
• 2002:
  • William, J., C. Euler, S. Christensen, and M.J. Shlomchik. 2002. Evolution of autoantibody responses via somatic hypermutation outside of germinal centers. Science 297: 2066-70.