Ryan Hunter

Ryan Hunter

Ryan Hunter

Associate Professor

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Specialty/Research Focus

Bacterial Pathogenesis; Bioinformatics; Biomedical Informatics; Computational Biology; Genomics and proteomics; Infectious Disease; Microbial Pathogenesis; Microbiology; Molecular genetics; Transcriptomics

Contact Information
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Room 5118
955 Main St.
Buffalo, New York 14051
Phone: 716-829-2701
rhunter2@buffalo.edu
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Overview Research Publications Activities Latest News

Professional Summary:

Bacterial infections associated with chronic airway disease (cystic fibrosis, COPD, sinusitis) are composed of complex polymicrobial communities that incite persistent inflammation and airway damage. Despite the recent surge in microbiome studies characterizing the composition of airway microbiota, a lack of effective therapeutics remains, due in part to our limited understanding of how bacterial species interact with one another in vivo, how they adapt to the airway microenvironment, and their co-evolution over time. The overarching research focus of the Hunter lab is to combine genomics, imaging, analytical biochemistry, and bacterial genetics, to better understand the in vivo host chemical environment, how it shapes polymicrobial interactions within, and to manipulate the environmental-microbe dynamic as a novel therapeutic strategy.

Our entry in this research area began with our observation that canonical pathogens of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway (e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus) are surprisingly inefficient at metabolizing mucin glycoproteins that comprise the major macromolecular constituent (and bioavailable carbon source) of airway mucus. Given that P. aeruginosa and S. aureus can reach densities of >109 cells per gram of mucus, our data suggested that mucin-derived nutrient acquisition may be supported by other processes. Informed by our microbiome sequencing data, we hypothesized that anaerobic “commensal” microbes, which are adept at degrading and fermenting mucins in the oral cavity (i.e. saliva) and also found in abundance in the infected lower airways, could stimulate pathogen growth through mucolytic activity. Indeed, we found that oral-associated anaerobic genera such as Prevotella, Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, and Veillonella spp. generate short-chain fatty acids (propionate, butyrate) and amino acids via mucin degradation that stimulate pathogen growth and virulence. This study, which defined a new role for “commensal” bacteria in CF airway disease opened up an exciting new area of microbial ecology that we and others continue to explore in the context of CF, chronic sinusitis, and other sites of infection.

Education and Training:
  • PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph (2007)
  • BS, Microbiology, University of Guelph (2000)

Employment:
  • Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University at Buffalo (2023-present)
  • Visiting Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph (2022–2023)
  • Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota (2020–2023)
  • Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota (2013–2020)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology, California Institute of Technology (2010–2013)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018–2010)
  • Graduate Student, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph (2001–2007)
  • Research Scientist, Exobiology Research Element, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2001)

Awards and Honors:
  • Most Engaging Professor, Upper Division (2019)
  • Clinical and Translational Science Institute Mentor of the Year (Honorable Mention) (2016)
  • Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor (2016)
  • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, NIH / NHLBI (2012)

Research Expertise:
  • Bacterial pathogens of the airways: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Achromobacter xylosoxidans,
  • Gastrointestinal complications and GI microbiota associated with cystic fibrosis
  • Integrative multi-omic analysis of host-associated microbiota
  • Mucus biology and mucus-microbe interactions
  • Polymicrobial infections between canonical pathogens and oral-associated microbiota (Fusobacterium, Veillonella, Prevotella, Streptococcus spp.)

Grants and Sponsored Research:
  • October 2023
    Design and Evaluation of Cystic Fibrosis Relevant Models for Antibiotic Drug Development
    Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • July 2023
    The role of anaerobic microbiota in cystic fibrosis airway disease trajectories
    NIH / NIAID
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • November 2022
    Determinants of Staphylococcus aureus commensalism versus pathogenesis in chronic sinusitis
    Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • October 2022
    The role of Fusobacterium nucleatum in cystic fibrosis associated colorectal cancer
    Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
    Role: Principal Investigator

Journal Articles:

See all (48 more)

Presentations:
  • "How commensal microbiota shape the trajectory of chronic airway disease" Rust Belt Microbiome Conference (2024)
  • "WHEN GOOD BUGS GO WILD: How our commensal microbiota shape the trajectory and treatment of chronic airway disease" UB Oral Biology Seminar Series (2024)
  • "Reciprocal interactions between anaerobic microbiota and the airway epithelium" 7th International Conference on Model Hosts (2024)
  • "WHEN GOOD BUGS GO WILD: How our commensal microbiota shape the trajectory and treatment of chronic airway disease" Western New York American Society for Microbiology Branch Meeting (2024)
  • "When good bugs go wild." Rochester Microbiome Seminar Series (2024)
  • "WHEN GOOD BUGS GO WILD: Commensal-derived metabolites disrupt lipid membrane homeostasis in Staphylococcus aureus" International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (2024)
  • "Commensal-derived short-chain fatty acids disrupt lipid membrane homeostasis in Staphylococcus aureus" Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis (2024)
  • "Dual oxic-anoxic co-culture enables direct study of anaerobe-host interactions" Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis (2024)
  • "When Good Bugs Go Wild" Georgia Tech, Biological Sciences Seminar Series (2024)
  • "Development of a novel culture platform to model anaerobe-host interaction in cystic fibrosis" Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Conference
  • "Reciprocal interactions between anaerobes and the airway epithelium" Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Conference
See all (1 more)

Service Activities:
  • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction Panel; Ad hoc reviewer (2024)
  • Finger Lakes Microbiome Symposium; Abstract Reviewer (2024)
  • PPBS Admissions; Committee Member (2024–present)
  • UB Microbiome Center; Steering Committee, and Representative to the National Microbiome Centers Consortium. (2024–present)
  • WNY ASM Branch Meetings; Co-organizer (2024–present)
  • Faculty Senate; JSMBS Rep (2024–present)
  • Western New York Branch, ASM; Alternate ASM Rep (2024–present)
  • Interspecies Microbial Interactions and Infections; Ad hoc reviewer (2024)
  • CTSI Professional Development Workshop: Managing Research Budgets; Panelist (2024)
  • GOrzynski Travel Award Review; Committee member (2024–present)
  • Junior Faculty Mentoring Committee; Member (2024–present)
  • Journal of Medical Microbiology; Senior Editor (2024–present)
  • Cell, Cell Reports, Current Biology, FEBS LEtters, Gut Microbes, Infection and Immunity, ISME J, Journal of Bacteriology, mBio, Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, Journal of Medical Microbiology, mSystems, mSphere, Microbiology Spectrum, PLoS Pathogens, Science Advances.; Manuscript Review (2024–present)
  • JSMBS Medical Student Annual Research Forum; Poster Judge (2024–present)
  • ASM Future Leaders Mentoring Fellowship (DEI); Program Mentor (2023–present)
  • ASM Microbe Planning Committee (Host-Microbe Biology track); Program Planning Committee, Track Co-Lead (2023–present)
  • North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference. Infection and Immunity track.; Program Planning Committee (2023–present)
  • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Grant Review; Standing committee member (2018–present)

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Contact Information

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Room 5118
955 Main St.
Buffalo, New York 14051
Phone: 716-829-2701
rhunter2@buffalo.edu
View map

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