Catherine Achorn Email and Phone Number

Working to discover novel antibiotics from soil microbes by using proprietary technology (the “ichip”) to cultivate bacteria that were previously uncultivable in a laboratory setting. Responsible for running secondary assays on any compounds discovered.• Maintain 3T3 and HepG2 cell lines and use them to determine if a compound is cytotoxic• Run MICs and MBCs on compounds received with a variety of clinical isolates• Run endotoxin assays, DNA binding assays, hemolysis assays, post… Show more Working to discover novel antibiotics from soil microbes by using proprietary technology (the “ichip”) to cultivate bacteria that were previously uncultivable in a laboratory setting. Responsible for running secondary assays on any compounds discovered.• Maintain 3T3 and HepG2 cell lines and use them to determine if a compound is cytotoxic• Run MICs and MBCs on compounds received with a variety of clinical isolates• Run endotoxin assays, DNA binding assays, hemolysis assays, post antibiotic effect assays, time kill curves, drug combination studies on compounds of interest• Isolate bacteria from terrestrial soils using in situ cultivation methods developed at NovoBiotic• Responsible for running PCR and gel electrophoresis on bacterial strains of interest for sequencing purposes• Responsible for experimental design and troubleshooting Show less

Part of a microbiology group developing bio-film assays for assessing non-fouling surface modifications on medical device technology.• Determined optimum strain-specific media for biofilm formation using high throughput screens with varying nutrient conditions• Management of sterility experiments with long-term serum storage studies• Responsible for data analysis and presentation at weekly meetings

Member of a microbiology team supporting discovery, preclinical and development activities.• Responsible for regular susceptibility testing of research compounds to support drug development and IND filings. Developed and performed robust bactericidal and combination study assays for incorporation into IND filings• Performed Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Assays, Resistance Frequency Assays, Time Kill Assays• Management of clinical isolate collection and pathogen… Show more Member of a microbiology team supporting discovery, preclinical and development activities.• Responsible for regular susceptibility testing of research compounds to support drug development and IND filings. Developed and performed robust bactericidal and combination study assays for incorporation into IND filings• Performed Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Assays, Resistance Frequency Assays, Time Kill Assays• Management of clinical isolate collection and pathogen identification using API system• Management of compound collection• General laboratory support including media and solution preparation, waste disposal Show less

Research Topic: Resilience of the Coral Species Pocillopora damicornis to Damage by Lesioning. Husbandry of coral reef tanks. Lesioning coral fragments and sequential photography. Image analysis with ImageJ, Microsoft Excel, and Access.

Research Topic: The Flow of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen on an Elevation Gradient. Collection and analysis of soil samples from different elevations on Mt. Eisenhower. Incubation at different temperatures to simulate elevation gradients. Lachat analysis and OPA fluorometry to determine organic and inorganic nitrogen.