Ragon Institute

Barczak Lab

Host-pathogen interactions in mycobacterial infection

Lab Overview

The Barczak lab studies mycobacteria (Mtb), the pathogen that causes tuberculosis. TB is one of the leading causes of death globally, and the bacteria employs a number of different strategies to evade and avoid the immune system. The lab seeks to understand the molecular pathogenesis and immune response in TB and apply this information to efforts to develop novel treatments and preventions.

The Barczak lab seeks to explore the knowledge gap between the minimalist systems used to study infection and the physiologic response to a biochemically complex pathogen, such as Mtb, recognized at distinct subcellular sites over the course of infection. Using genetic and microscopic approaches with cellular and murine models of infection, we are interested in elucidating the strategies used by Mtb to restrict activation of innate immune pathways. Finally, we are interested in applying the knowledge gained in studies of molecular pathogenesis to the development of new strategies for treating and preventing TB.

Lab Website

Amy Barczak, MD

Affiliation

  • Member, Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard
  • Assistant Investigator, MGH Infectious Disease Division
  • Associate Member, The Broad Institute
  • Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School

About

Amy Barczak received her MD from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases in the combined MGH/BWH program. Following post-doctoral work in the Hung lab at the Broad Institute and the Rubin lab at Harvard School of Public Health, she came to the Ragon Institute to start her lab as faculty in the MGH Infectious Diseases Division.

Related Research Foci

  • Global Health
  • Fundamental Immunology
  • Infectious Disease Pathogenesis
  • Immune Monitoring
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Related Areas of Study

  • Tuberculosis
  • Coronaviruses

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Selected Publications

Inflammatory Macrophages Associate With Tissue Injury and Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Tuberculosis.

Boucau J, Ruelas Castillo J, Naidoo T, Liu Y, Dasgupta S, Jain N, Jacobson NE, Nargan K, Cimini BA, Eliceiri KW, Steyn AJC, Barczak AK.

J Infect Dis. 2025 Dec 20;232(6):1375-1388

December 20, 2025
PMID: 40629518

Virologic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection across evolving Omicron subvariants.

Boucau J, Glover OT, Marino C, Edelstein GE, Choudhary MC, Li Y, Leeman BM, Reynolds Z, Su K, Tien D, Mandell CB, Passell E, Alexandrescu A, Abar E, Barry M, Ghimire D, Vyas TD, Vyas JM, Lemieux JE, Li JZ, Siedner MJ, Barczak AK.

JCI Insight. 2025 Sep 9;10(20):e192228.

October 22, 2025
PMID: 40924669

VPS18 contributes to phagosome membrane integrity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis–infected macrophages

Charul Jani, Neha Jain, Amanda K. Marsh, Pooja Uchil, Triet Doan, Meggie Hudspith, Owen T. Glover, Zach R. Baskir, Julie Boucau, David E. Root, Nicole N. van der Wel, John G. Doench, Amy K. Barczak

Sci Adv . 2025 Jan 31;11(5):eadr6166

January 31, 2025
PMID: 39888996

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Resistance After Antiviral Treatment

Tamura TJ, Choudhary MC, Deo R, Yousuf F, Gomez AN, Edelstein GE, Boucau J, Glover OT, Barry M, Gilbert RF, Reynolds Z, Li Y, Tien D, Vyas TD, Passell E, Su K, Drapkin S, Abar EG, Kawano Y, Sparks JA, Wallace ZS, Vyas JM, Shafer RW, Siedner MJ, Barczak AK, Lemieux JE, Li JZ; POSITIVES Study Team.

JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2435431

September 3, 2024
PMID: 39320890

SARS-CoV-2 Virologic Rebound With Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Therapy : An Observational Study

Edelstein GE, Boucau J, Uddin R, Marino C, Liew MY, Barry M, Choudhary MC, Gilbert RF, Reynolds Z, Li Y, Tien D, Sagar S, Vyas TD, Kawano Y, Sparks JA, Hammond SP, Wallace Z, Vyas JM, Barczak AK, Lemieux JE, Li JZ, Siedner MJ.

Ann Intern Med . 2023 Dec;176(12):1577-1585

November 14, 2023
PMID: 37956428

Persistence and Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in an Immunocompromised Host

Bowman K, Adhikari UD, Winkler ML, Mueller AA, Hsu TY, Desjardins M, Baden LR, Chan BT, Walker BD, Lichterfeld M, Brigl M, Kwon DS, Kanjilal S, Richardson ET, Jonsson AH, Alter G, Barczak AK, Hanage WP, Yu XG, Gaiha GD, Seaman MS, Cernadas M, Li JZ.

N Engl J Med. 2020 12 03; 383(23):2291-2293

December 3, 2020

Disseminated Intravascular Infection Caused by Paecilomyces variotii: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Lazarus JE, Branda JA, Gandhi RG, Barshak MB, Zachary KC, Barczak AK.

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 Jun; 7(6):ofaa166

June 1, 2020

Snapshot: COVID-19

Oberfeld B, Achanta A, Carpenter K, Chen P, Gilette NM, Langat P, Said JT, Schiff AE, Shou AS, Barczak AK, and Pillai S.

Cell, 29 Apr 2020, 181(4):954-954.e1

April 29, 2020

Phagosomal Copper-Promoted Oxidative Attack on Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Libardo MDJ, de la Fuente-Nunez C, Anand K, Krishnamoorthy G, Kaiser P, Pringle SC, Dietz C, Pierce S, Smith MB, Barczak A, Kaufmann SHE, Singh A, and Angeles-Boza AM.

ACS Infect Dis, 2018 Sep 6

September 6, 2018

Identification of host-targeted small molecules that restrict intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth

Stanley SA*, Barczak AK*, Silvis MR, Luo SS, Sogi KM, Volkes M, Bray MA, Carpenter AE, Siddiqi N, Rubin EJ, Hung DT.

PLoS Pathog 2014 Feb; 10(2): e1003946

February 1, 2014

RNA signatures allow rapid identification of pathogens and antibiotic susceptibilities

Barczak AK*, Gomez JE*, Kaufmann BB, Hinson ER, Cosimi L, Borowsky ML, Onderdonk AB, Stanley SA, Kaur D, Bryant KF, Knipe DM, Sloutsky A, Hung DT.

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2012. 109(16):6217-22

January 1, 2012

Systematic, multiparametric analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis intracellular infection offers insight into coordinated virulence

Barczak AK*, Avraham R*, Singh S, Luo SS, Zhang WR, Bray MA, Thompson M, Nietupski RM, Golas A, Fitzgerald M, Smith RS, White DW, Tischler AD, Carpenter AE, Hung DT.

PLoS Pathog. 2017 May 15;13(5):e1006363

May 15, 2017
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Lab Team

Julie Boucau, PhD

Staff Scientist

Jennie Ruelas Castillo, PhD

Research Scientist

Triet Doan

Research Technician I

Owen Glover

Research Technician I

Neha Jain

Postdoctoral Fellow

Eliane Shwairi

Veterinary Technician

Pooja Uchil

Graduate Student

Melania Yee

High School Researcher

Damilola Ogunbamiwo

Undergraduate Researcher

Nana Hara

Undergraduate Researcher

Sarah Vellanikaren

Research Assistant