Groshong Research Group

Our current lab is comprised of people from a variety of scientific backgrounds. Our interdisciplinary approach adds to the overarching goal to create science that has many different perspectives. Each of our current lab members specialize in their own project with a focus on Lyme disease spirochete, B. burgdorferi, and relapsing fever spirochete, B. hermsii.

With almost 30,000 cases reported in the United States and an estimated 300,000 cases annually, Lyme disease is the leading vector-borne disease in the United States. In contrast, from 1990 to 2011, there were only 504 confirmed cases of relapsing fever reported. The reduced incidence of relapsing fever has resulted in relapsing fever spirochetes being significantly understudied. However, given that B. burgdorferi and B. hermsii have ~70% identity between their chromosomes, they maintain vastly different enzootic cycles and disease states. Comparative studies between Lyme disease and relapsing fever are critical to understanding pathogen-vector-host biologies. As a lab, we have published papers on our findings and plan to continue our research in hopes of better understanding the morphological, ecological, and genetic characteristics that the Borrelia species play in the pathogen-vector-host interactions.

Groshong Research Group Image

Bacterial Physiology and Metabolism Unit, 2026: Samantha Crane, Ph.D., Adison Linder, B.S., Ashley Groshong, Ph.D., Ashley Wilkins, Ph.D. (Gordon Research Conference Biology of Spirochetes, Pomona, CA)

Credit: NIAID

Ashley Groshong, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator and Chief, Bacterial Physiology and Metabolism Unit

Contact: ashley.groshong@nih.gov

Education:

Ph.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

B.S., B.A., University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Dr. Groshong received a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Chemistry and English at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She began studying Borrelia burgdorferi and its virulence determinants during her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut Health Center where she studied B. burgdorferi gene regulation throughout the enzootic cycle and continued on as an Instructor of Basic Science, where she began developing her studies on amino acid acquisition by the spirochete.

Learn more about Ashley Groshong, Ph.D.

Photo of Ashley Groshong

Samantha D. Crane, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow

Education:

B.S., Biological Sciences, 2017, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO

Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (Microbiology and Immunology Track), 2021, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

My research focuses on understanding the roles of Borrelia nutritional adaptations and requirements during the enzootic cycle of Lyme disease and relapsing fever spirochetes. I am interested in characterizing the pathogenesis of tick-borne relapsing fever and host responses to Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii.

Learn more about Samantha D. Crane, Ph.D.

Headshot of Samantha D. Crane

Clayton Jarrett, M.S.

Microbiologist/Technician

Education:

M.S., Microbiology, 2000, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

Headshot of Clayton Jarrett

Adison G. Linder, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

Education:

B.S., Molecular Biology, Spanish minor, 2024, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Languages Spoken: Spanish

After spending my undergraduate career conducting research in the molecular genetics behind C. elegans cytoskeletal development and intracellular trafficking, I’m excited to bring my experience to the Groshong laboratory and explore the bacterial genetics of Borrelia. I plan to spend two years as a postbac studying spirochaete physiology and nutrient acquisition before applying to Ph.D. programs. ...

Learn more about Adison G. Linder, B.S.

Headshot of Adison G. Linder, B.S.

Ashley A. Wilkins, Ph.D., M.S., R.Ph.T., C.Ph.T.

Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow

Education:

A.A.S., Pharmacy Technology, 2015, Austin Community College, Austin, TX
B.S., Biology (Microbiology Track), 2018, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX
M.S., Microbiology and Immunology, 2019, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology, 2024, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA

My research focuses on the cell envelope biology of Borrelia burgdorferi, with particular emphasis on peptidoglycan remodeling and amino acid transport. I investigate how disruptions in nutrient acquisition pathways influence cell wall dynamics, morphology, and overall bacterial physiology. Through genetic and phenotypic analysis of transport and cell wall–associated mutants, my work aims to...

Learn more about Ashley A. Wilkins, Ph.D., M.S., R.Ph.T., C.Ph.T.

Photo of Ashley A. Wilkins.

Former Research Group Members

  • Thomas Amabile, MPH (Summer Internship Program, 2022)
  • Zachary Osterwind (Summer Internship Program, 2023)
  • Amira-Nuriya McKinney, B.S. (Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2022-2024)
  • Arti Kataria, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow, 2021-2024)
  • Josh Gold B.S. (Postbaccalaurate IRTA Fellow, 2024)
  • Kamryn T. Cregger, B.S. (Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2023-2025)
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