Jessica A. Scoffield | |
|---|---|
 Scoffield in 2015 | |
| Born | Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Tuskegee University Auburn University |
| Known for | Mechanisms of commensal bacteria interference of pathogenic bacterial growth in oral cavity and lungs |
| Awards | 2019 inaugural recipient of the American Association for Dental Research Procter and Gamble Underrepresented Faculty Research Fellowship, 2017 Most-esteemed Postdoc Award UAB |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Microbiology |
| Institutions | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
Jessica A. Scoffield is an American microbiologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology at theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Scoffield studies the mechanisms by which oralcommensal bacteria interfere with pathogenic bacterial growth in order to inform the development of active therapeutic tools to prevent drug resistant pathogen infection. In 2019, Scoffield became the inaugural recipient of the American Association for Dental Research Procter and Gamble Underrepresented Faculty Research Fellowship.
Scoffield grew up inChattanooga, Tennessee.[1] She pursued her undergraduate degree atTuskegee University in 1998, which is when she discovered her passion for biomedical research.[1] Scoffield graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences in 2002.[2] Following her undergraduate degree, Scoffield stayed at Tuskegee University to complete her Master of Science in biology.[2] While at Tuskegee, Scoffield helped to design plant growth systems for space missions and then helped develop edible vaccines using plants.[3] She explored the use ofAgrobacterium-mediated gene transfer efficiency insweet potato cultivars, in an effort to improve sweet potato production in Alabama.[4] She presented this emerging technology at the In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology Symposium.[5] She completed her Master's training in 2004.[2]
Following her master's, Scoffield pursued her graduate training atAuburn University inAuburn, Alabama.[2] She trained underLaura Silo-Suh in the Department of Biological Sciences and she explored the mechanisms by whichPseudomonas aeruginosa growth mechanisms and virulence factor production.[6]P. aeruginosa infections are one of the leading causes of chronic pulmonary infections in people withcystic fibrosis, often resulting in mortality.[7] Her work helped to explore which environmental factors and adaptations lead to persistent and severe infection in CF patients.[6] Probing the metabolicglyoxylate pathways ofP. aeruginosa, Scoffield found thatisocitrate lyase, an important enzyme in the glyoxylate pathway, facilitated adaptation ofP. aeruginosa to the CF lung.[7] They also found that the glyoxylate pathway becomes up-regulated in specific bacterial isolates from CF patient lungs.[6] Based on this finding, Scoffield explored the genetic mechanisms of pathway up-regulation and she showed that GlpR, a transcriptional repressor for glycerol metabolism, also regulates the glyoxylate pathway, shedding light on the interactions between fatty acid and glycerol metabolism inP. aeruginosa.[6] Scoffield completed her PhD in microbiology in 2012.[2]
After completing her PhD, Scoffield pursued her postdoctoral training at theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham.[2] She trained under the mentorship of Hui Wu in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry.[8] Scoffield continued to studyP. aeruginosa, but focused on its infection of the oral cavity.[8] She explored how commensal bacteria in the mouth help to suppressP. aeruginosa infection.[8] She found that commensal bacteria in the oral cavity suppress the growth and infection of pathogenicP. aeruginosa through their release of nitrate and H2O2.[8] This work suggests that H2O2 and nitrate may present an infection treatment strategy in patients withP. aeruginosa infections.[8] Scoffield then found thatP. aeruginosa require nitrite reductase to survive in the presence of nitrite producing commensal oral bacteria.[9]
In 2018, Scoffield was appointed to assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Department of Microbiology.[2] She also holds secondary appointments in the Department of Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, as well as an appointment in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. Scoffield also works in the Cystic Fibrosis Research Center.[2] Scoffield is a member of theAmerican Society for Microbiology as well as the American Association for Dental Research (AADR).[10] In 2019, she became the inaugural recipient of the AADR Procter and Gamble Under-represented Faculty Research Fellowship.[11]
Scoffield is also the principal investigator of the Scoffield Lab. Her lab explores the role of commensal bacteria in maintaining homeostasis.[12] The lab focuses on both oral and pulmonary commensal bacteria and how these bacteria are able to control and suppress pathogenic bacteria in these niches.[12] The main pathogenic bacteria the Scoffield Lab explores areStreptococcus mutans, the major cause of pathogenic oral infection, andP. aeruginosa, the major cause of pulmonary infection in CF patients.[12] In 2019, Scoffield and her team explored howP. aeruginosa infection ofmicroglia impactsextracellular vesicle (EV) biogenesis and composition. The team found thatP. aeruginosa infection and treatment of microglia withP. aeruginosa EVs altered protein and mRNA expression in microglia derived EVs and led to decreased cell viability. These findings suggest that EVs alone could be used as a biomarker of infection and guide the development of tools to target resistant bacteria.[13]
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