How do bacteria distinguish their own DNA from that of an invading virus or plasmid — reliably, with remarkable accuracy, without a fixed rulebook of targets? And what happens at the molecular level when that discrimination fails? Research in the Bravo lab centers on how bacterial immune systems achieve self/non-self discrimination, using an integrated approach combining cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), quantitative biochemistry, and in vivo genomics. By uncovering these molecular mechanisms, the lab aims to reveal fundamental principles of immune specificity that extend beyond bacteria, while opening new avenues for biotechnology and antimicrobial resistance applications.

Jack Bravo is an Assistant Professor and group leader at ISTA. He earned his PhD in Structural Biology and Biophysics from the University of Leeds, UK, and completed his postdoctoral training with David Taylor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he specialized in cryo-EM and developed kinetics-guided approaches to studying CRISPR-Cas and other bacterial immune systems. Aside from having been selected as one of our 2026 Vallee Scholars, he has also been named a FEBS Excellence Awardee.

Bravo Lab