Genes on the move: a genomics view of resistance, persistence, and evolution
The Camps lab is at the forefront of investigating the mechanisms that drive evolution, employing a combination of directed evolution approaches. Our research primarily focuses on two key areas: understanding the evolution of new biochemical activities emerging from the combined effects of multiple mutations and exploring the role of plasmids in horizontal gene transfer. The lab significantly contributes to the scientific community by shedding light on these processes.
Our findings on epistasis, plasmid replication, antibiotic resistance evolution, plasmid segregation control, and the interplay between genes and selective pressures significantly contribute to our understanding of these complex phenomena. By leveraging advanced genomics techniques and developing predictive models, the lab continues to unravel the mysteries of evolution, setting the stage for future advancements in this captivating field.
People
Manel camps – Professor in microbiology & environmental toxicology
I grew up in Catalonia, and am a veterinarian by training. I completed a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in Dr. John Boothroyd’s laboratory at Stanford University and a postdoc in Dr. Larry Loeb’s laboratory at the University of Washington. In 2007, I joined the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, where I established a research laboratory that focuses on the study of molecular mechanisms of evolution, with a focus on plasmids and mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics and to alkylating agents.
The main undergraduate classes that I teach are Human Anatomy (METX135), Human Anatomy Lab (METX135L) and Human Cadaver Dissection (METX135C), Physiology of Disease (METX41). I also co-teach the following graduate classes: Advanced Prokaryotic Biology (METX206), Molecular Pathogenesis (METX238), and Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance (METX215). For more information about these classes please see UCSC’s General Catalog.
Since 2014, I have also been serving as Provost of Crown College, one of the 10 colleges at UCSC, and since 2021, serving as Faculty Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development CIED. Through these two administrative leadership positions, I strive to foster high quality education based on promoting transferable skills and on connecting the work we do in academia with the needs of our community. For more information about Crown’s academic program please see Crown College Academics, and for more information about CIED, please visitCIED’s webpage.
Hobbies: In my free time I like to hike and to do mountain biking. I also enjoy linguistics and history.
Lab Members
Diego Montenegro, ph.d. – research associate
Diego obtained his B.S. in Biology at the Universidad del Magdalena, Colombia and his Ph.D. in Tropical Medicine from Instituto Oswaldo Cruz / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil. His main area of interest is surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases (Dengue, Malaria, ChagasDiseases, Rickettsiosis, etc.). He has experience leading projects for both local and international organizations and he is working toward integrating community intelligence and artificial intelligence to address public health and environmental problems. Diego enjoys cooking, hiking, and discovering new beaches.
Vincent Blay, ph.d. – research associate
Vincent obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Valencia, Spain, developing catalysts for chemical processes. He has conducted research at multiple institutions, including UC San Francisco, investigating biomineralization and renal pathologies, and Berkeley National Lab, creating computational tools for synthetic biology. His interests include artificial intelligence, the design of molecules and therapeutics, and the combination of modeling and wet-lab experiments. Vincent enjoys hiking and traveling to new places.
Gerardo Cortés, Ph.D – Research Associate
Gerardo completed his PhD in Microbiology at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He joined the Camps lab as a Postdoc when awarded the UC-MEXUS fellowship, allowing him to analyze the horizontal transfer of plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance genes in Extraintestinal E. coli clones mediated by conjugation. Currently, he is collaborating as a Research Associate and is also exploring the industry in a Quality Assurance Company. When not spreading his passion for plasmids, he enjoys cooking and tasting new dishes.
Christina Egami – Ph.D. Candidate
Christina completed her B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is now continuing her academic journey as a PhD student in the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology department. Christina is currently investigating the mechanisms regulating ColE1 plasmid segregation to further understand the spread of plasmids, which are extrachromosomal DNA that encode antibiotic resistance, heavy metal resistance or virulence factors.
caison warner – ph.d. Candidate
Caison obtained his B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is now a Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology department at UCSC. Caison is investigating the functional genomic landscape of Toxin-Antitoxin systems in E. coli through a process of both bioinformatics and biomolecular engineering.
DAVID MARSELLi- Masters student
David is a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major with a minor in Bioinformatics. He is working under Caison to develop a tool that finds prominent clusters of resistance genes in E. coli. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and foraging, playing guitar, and music production.
Abby miller – Undergraduate student
Abby is a third-year undergraduate studying Neuroscience. She is working under Christina Egami and is interested in plasmid stability. In her free time, Abby enjoys crocheting and baking.
Jasmine SAYED – undergraduate student
Jasmine is currently pursuing a Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Major and a Biotechnology Major. She is currently working under Caison Warner with plans to focus on women’s health. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys drawing, collecting CDs, and boxing.
Tony Mei – undergraduate student
Tony is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that modulate conjugation of plasmids in uropathogenic E. coli strains. Outside of the lab, he enjoys cycling, tinkering, and collecting mechanical pencils.
Victoria boydston – undergraduate student
Victoria is an undergraduate student researcher studying Wolbachia and resistance under Caison. She is pursuing a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree with plans to continue working as a researcher. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring new places. .
We are thrilled to announce that Julia Morocco, a former technician in our lab, has begun medical school at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, New York, as part of the Class of 2029. Please join us in congratulating Julia on this exciting next step in her medical career!
April 29, 2025
Undergraduate student, Miriam Yee, has recently accepted an offer of admission to the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She is excited to begin her medical studies in Summer 2025 to become an Osteopathic physician. Congrats, Miriam!
September 8, 2024
Christina Egami, Caison Warner and Manel Camps presented our laboratory’s work at the International Symposium on Plasmid Biology 2024 in Hamamatsu, Japan. Our two plenary talks and posters were very well received and we made important connections with diverse leading labs in the field of plasmid biology.
September 8, 2024
Recent alum, Neo Peng, presented our laboratory’s work on fluoroquinolone resistance at the 6th International Caparica Conference in Antibiotic Resistance 2024. He was awarded an Excellence Shotgun Poster Prize!
August 15, 2024
Amanda completed her Ph.D. degree in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, which a concentration in Microbiology. Her thesis’ title is: “Investigations in molecular evolution: the role of prion amyloids as conduits of conformational information in archaea and the role of individual fluoroquinolones as drivers of target modification resistance mutations in uropathogenic E. coli”. She earned multiple awards and fellowships during her PhD, including the Yale Ciencia, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS), and UC-Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-DDI) awards.
Amanda is currently completing a postdoc in Dr. Bohorquez’s laboratory at Duke University.
Congratulations, Dr. Amanda Carbajal!
July 30, 2024
Our recent alumna, Keerthana Sivakumar, has been accepted to the Masters of Molecular Science and Software Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley, which is ranked #1 for both chemistry and computer science graduate programs. She is eager to pursue scientific inquiries through software engineering and machine learning. She is looking forward to her next academic journey and starting her master’s program in Fall 2024!
April 20, 2024
Undergraduate student, Neo Peng, has been offered admission to the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (PhD) at Oregon Health & Science University. He is planning to pursue research towards the cure for HIV at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, which is one of the 7 nationally ranked primate research centers in the US. He is excited to start his PhD program in Fall 2024 at OHSU!
March 22, 2024
Christina Egami and Caison Warner were both awarded a bursary from the International Symposium on Plasmid Biology (ISPB). This ISPB bursary was awarded to assist Early Career Researchers on their attendance to the 2024 symposium, being hosted in Hamamatsu, Japan! Christina’s abstract is titled, “Method for efficient quantification of short-term plasmid loss kinetics”, and Caison’s abstract is titled, “Establishing the Accuracy of a Plasmid Assembly Pipeline for Short-Read Sequence Contigs through PFGE Gel Mobility Size Verification”.
November 20, 2023
Christina Egami was one of the six who was awarded a seed grant to perform her proposed study titled: “Identification of bioactive compounds interfering with plasmid maintenance” by the UCSC Chemical Screening Center. Christina is a 4th year PhD student working on mechanisms regulating multicopy plasmid segregation, which is a critical determinant of plasmid stability. Multicopy plasmids are critical for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence. Bioactive compounds that promote plasmid loss are thus excellent candidates for controlling the spread of antibiotic resistance and for the development of antivirulence therapies. Check out the seed fund announcement!
December 25, 2023
The Camps Lab wishes you a happy holiday!
October 18, 2023
Manel Camps gives a talk at the Research Division of El Bosque University in Bogotá, which hosts a major medical center in Bogotá, Colombia. His talk was titled, “Evolution of New Biochemical Activities: Experimental Models of Antibiotic and Antitumor Chemotherapy Resistance”.
Eschericia coli residing in the intestine can cause severe disease if it colonizes internal organs. In collaboriate with Dr. Rocha’s group in Puebla (Mexico), we identify one of these pathogenic strains in a sample of fresh spinach, map it to an emerging, highly virulent sublineage, and define its genomic markers. This work shows that pathogenic strains can be transmitted by agricultural products and provides the tools for both a more rigorous epidemiological surveillance of E. coli and for a better understanding of its routes of transmission.
September 27, 2023
Ph.D candidate, Amanda Carbajal, has been awarded the highly selective Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) Fellowship. This competitive fellowship selects applicants nationwide, and is a program dedicated to providing fellows support in their transition to a post-PhD position. See the full list of 2023 YCA fellows and check out the UCSC graduate announcement article. Congratulations Amanda!!
