The Rijal Lab studies how bacterial pathogens persist inside host cells and how immune defenses succeed or fail in clearing infection. We focus on fundamental processes that determine intracellular survival versus elimination, drawing on complementary host and pathogen models to define conserved mechanisms of stress tolerance and immune control.
Core research areas
Mycobacterial adaptation and antibiotic tolerance
We investigate how mycobacteria adapt to stress and antibiotic pressure during infection. Our work focuses on bacterial pathways that promote survival, persistence, and drug tolerance, and how these processes contribute to chronic infection and treatment failure.
Host pathways in intracellular infection
We study host cell processes that influence the fate of intracellular pathogens. Through work in phagocytic cells and conserved experimental systems, we examine how host pathways support or restrict bacterial survival and how immune cell function changes during infection.
Methods & experimental approaches
Our work combines complementary experimental systems and techniques, including:
- Infection models using human macrophages (primary cells and THP-1) and bacterial pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Genetically tractable eukaryotic model systems (Dictyostelium discoideum)
- Cell and molecular biology approaches, including CRISPR interference, recombinant protein expression, and biochemical assays
- High-resolution imaging, including confocal and electron microscopy
- Multi-omics analyses (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics)
- Small-molecule perturbation and therapeutic screening approaches
RIJAL LAB 