MIT researchers led by Rebecca Lamason have developed novel techniques to study R. parkeri and Listeria monocytogenes, including the first CRISPR-based gene targeting in R. parkeri and methods to label bacterial proteins secreted into host cells for clearer functional studies.

Lamason’s lab aims to move beyond easy-to-study models like E. coli and S. aureus to examine harder-to-study pathogens, with the goal of uncovering how diverse pathogens interact with host cells.

The lab’s work on pathogens such as Rickettsia parkeri and Listeria monocytogenes seeks to reveal how infections hijack host cell machinery and to illuminate fundamental host cell functions.

Outside the lab, Lamason plays in a women’s hockey league in Boston to decompress from research pressures and maintain balance.

Her participation in women’s hockey in Boston serves as a routine to manage academic stress and keep life in balance with her scientific career.

Lamason’s career path—from early biology interest through community college, Millersville University, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, and MIT—reflects a sustained drive to understand how different biological systems interact.

Her background includes studying cell biology at Millersville University, exploring zebrafish cancer genetics before graduate school, and conducting postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley on host-pathogen interactions, shaping an interdisciplinary approach.

MIT’s collaborative culture and access to cross-lab expertise have been central to Lamason’s ability to tackle new techniques and pursue organelle-focused questions.

The lab emphasizes collaboration and leveraging MIT’s cross-lab resources to overcome technical challenges and pursue riskier, exploratory questions.

Recent work reveals a unique tight interaction between Rickettsia parkeri and the endoplasmic reticulum, a finding not observed with other microbes and hinting at novel infection mechanisms.

Notably, R. parkeri forms tight connections with the endoplasmic reticulum, indicating distinctive host-pathogen interactions that are still under investigation.