Senior Lecturer, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine

Biography
Dr. Salomon received his B.Sc. (suma cum laude) in Biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University in 2006. He then continued to his Ph.D. studies also at the Faculty of Life Sciences at TAU in the Dean’s direct Ph.D. track under the supervision of Prof. Guido Sessa. In 2011, Dr. Salomon joined the laboratory of Prof. Kim Orth at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, USA as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He joined the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University in 2016.

Dr. Salomon is the director of the Bacterial Platforms for Antibacterial Treatments Center at Tel Aviv University. He is also the recipient of the prestigious ERC grant, and of the Alon Fellowship for outstanding young investigators.

Research
Bacterial Protein Secretion Systems and Toxins

Our lab is interested in the recently discovered Type VI Secretion Systems (T6SSs) and the toxins they deliver. We are pursuing discovery-driven research and translational approaches to utilize the T6SS and its toxins as platforms for the development of novel antibacterial treatments.

The T6SS is a contact-dependent protein delivery system that is found in many Gram-negative bacteria. It uses a contractile apparatus to propel an innertube, which is decorated with toxic effector proteins, outside of the bacterial cell and into an adjacent recepient cell, where effectors are deployed. The T6SS is unique as it can deliver toxins directly into eukaryotic host cells as well as into competing bacterial cells, and thus mediates both virulence and antibacterial toxicities.

We employ a multi-disciplinary approach to identify T6SSs activities and toxins in various bacterial pathogens. Using molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, microscopy, proteomics, and bioinformatic tools, we are identifying novel virulent and antibacterial toxins and determine their mechanism of action and their targets. In addition, we study T6SSs in pathogenic bacteria and determine their contibution to pathogenicity, inter-bacterial competition, and dissemination in the environment.