Skip to main content
Department of Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics
  1. HOME
  2. Research
  3. Faculty Labs
  4. Nizet Lab
  5. People
  6. Fatemeh Askarian

Fatemeh Askarian

Project Scientist

Research Interests

  • Host-pathogen Interface
  • Novel bacterial virulence factors
  • Multi-drug resistant pathogens

At the Bench

Fatemeh is a project scientist in the Nizet Lab, where she employs multiomics, bacterial genetics, molecular biology, and host immunology to delve into previously unexplored aspects of the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and other multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens. Throughout her scientific career, she has concentrated on unraveling and characterizing bacterial mechanisms that facilitate host immune evasion in high-priority MDR pathogens.

She earned her Ph.D. in Health Sciences with a focus on the interplay between S. aureus and the host at The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), under the guidance of microbial pathogenesis expert Prof. Mona Johannessen. After completing her Ph.D., she pursued two postdoctoral work for over six years, initially in the laboratories of Host-Microbe Interactions (UiT), supported by an individual fellowship from Helse Nord RHF. The fellowship support afforded her the opportunity for extended research stays abroad at UC San Diego (2016-2017) in the Nizet Laboratory, which she gained intensive training in various mouse models, multi-omics analysis, and the use of CRISPR gene editing. Subsequently, she joined the Protein Engineering and Proteomics group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), where she continued her research in the field of bacterial pathogenesis and made a groundbreaking discovery that a unique chitin-oxidizing redox enzyme so called Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) is a critical virulence factor in P. aeruginosa.

Currently, she leverages her expertise in translational analysis, bacterial pathogenesis, and immunology to conduct comprehensive and integrated studies of the microbial virulence repertoire and host signatures to identify potential novel targets for the treatment of MDR bacterial infections. Her research efforts have generated the foundational work for grant applications and she has received several pilot grants toward the development of alternative therapeutic strategies to combat multi-drug resistant infection. She also secured grants for research projects that funded by pharmaceutical- or technology- focused companies.

Academic Appointments

Year Position
2021—Present Assistant Project Scientist, University of California San Diego
2021 Research Scientist, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
2018-2021 Adjunct Researcher, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Norway.

Education

University Degree Year Field
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway Postdoc 2018-2021 Host-Pathogen Interactions
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA Postdoc 2016-2017 Host-Pathogen interactions
The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway Postdoc 2014-2018 Host-Pathogen interactions
The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway Ph.D. 2014 Health Sciences

Honors

Year Honor/Award
2023 MS2201 Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, Role: PI, Immune boosting roles of human milk oligosaccharides on host phagocytic cell antimicrobial function against neonatal pathogens.
2023 UCSD RG104640 Academic Senate Grant, Role: PI, A novel conserved virulence factor target for monoclonal antibody prophylaxis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
2018 Researcher Award from Helse Nord RHF, Norway
2015 Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from Helse Nord RHF, Norway

Selected Publications

Askarian F, Tsai CM, Cordarab, G, Zurich, RH, Bjånes, E, Golten, O, Sørensen, HV, Kousha, A, Meier, A, Chikwatie, E, Bruunf, JA, Ludvikseng, JA, Choudhury, B, Trieua, D, Davis, S, Edvardsen, PKT, Mollnes, T E, Liu, GY, Krengel, U, Conrad, DJ, Vaaje-Kolstad, G, Nizet, V. Immunization with lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase CbpD induces protective immunity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. PNAS 2023; 12 (0): e2301538120. PIMD: 37459522.
Askarian F, Uchiyama S, Masson H, Sørensen HV, Golten O, Bunæs AC, Mekasha S, Røhr ÅK, Kommedal E, Ludviksen JA, Arntzen MØ, Schmidt B, Zurich RH, van Sorge NM, Eijsink VGH, Krengel U, Mollnes TE, Lewis NE, Nizet V, Vaaje-Kolstad G. The lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase CbpD promotes Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence in systemic infection. Nat. Commun. 2021; 12(1): 1230. PMID: 33623002; PMCID: PMC7902821.
Skåne A, Edvardsen PK, Cordara G, Loose JSM, Leitl KD, Krengel U, Sørum H, Askarian F*, Vaaje-Kolstad G*. Chitinolytic enzymes contribute to the pathogenicity of Aliivibrio salmonicida LFI1238 in the invasive phase of cold-water vibriosis. BMC Microbiol. 2022; 22: 194. PMID: 35941540; PMCID: PMC9361615. *contributed equally.
Askarian, F, Wagner T, Johannessen M, Nizet V. Staphylococcus aureus modulation of innate immune responses through Toll-like (TLR), (NOD)-like (NLR) and C-type lectin (CLR) receptors. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2018; 42(5): 656-671. PMID: 29893825; PMCID: PMC6098222.
Askarian F, Ajayi C, Hanssen AM, van Sorge NM, Pettersen I, Diep DB, Sollid JU, Johannessen M. The interaction between Staphylococcus aureus SdrD and desmoglein 1 is important for adhesion to host cells. Sci Rep. 2016; 6: 22134. PMID: 26924733; PMCID: PMC4770587.
Askarian F, van Sorge NM, Sangvik M, Beasley FC, Henriksen JR, Sollid JU, van Strijp JA, Nizet V, Johannessen M. A Staphylococcus aureus TIR domain protein virulence factor blocks TLR2-mediated NF-κB signaling. J Innate Immun. 2014; 6: 485-98. PMID: 24481289; PMCID: PMC4198549.