Used by half of all enzymes, metals critically contribute to life. However, in many environments the availability of metals is restricted, forcing organisms to adapt to their absence.  This stress has and continues to shape life across the planet. Being able to overcome metal starvation is critical for both established and emerging pathogens, as the immune system via a defense known as nutritional immunity actively restricts metal availability. Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are predicted to kill more than 10 million people per year by 2050. Through the study of how pathogens overcome nutritional immunity, my laboratory is working to understand the fundamental mechanisms by which life adapts to the absence of metals and identify new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. To accomplish these goals, we are investigating the impact of metal starvation on cellular processes, the mechanisms by which pathogens preserve essential processes when metals are absent, and how microbes and proteins evolve in response to reduced metal availability.

Dr Kehl-Fie is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Microbiology Endowed Scholar in the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa. He completed his doctoral training in molecular microbiology and microbial pathogenesis at Washington University in St Louis with Dr Joseph St Geme III.  Dr Kehl-Fie conducted his postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the laboratory of Dr Eric Skaar. In addition to being named a 2017 Vallee Scholar Dr Kehl-Fie has received funding from the March of Dimes, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and National Institutes of Health.