A study led by IRB Barcelona and the IBMB-CSIC, reveals how the bacterium that causes cholera activates its virulence programme, uncovering a single amino acid as a critical contact point. The study opens new avenues for future therapies.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, researchers have solved five structures of the V. cholerae activation complex, revealing how virulence gene expression is triggered once the bacterium reaches the human intestine.

Researchers at IRB Barcelona and the IBMB-CSIC, in collaboration with EMBL Heidelberg and partners in the United States, mapped the infection process with unprecedented detail, unveiling how the cell’s transcription machinery is recruited to the DNA and virulence genes are transcribed.

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research has named Dan Devers as General Counsel, effective January 26, 2026. In this role, Devers will provide strategic and operational leadership on all legal matters across the Institute and its affiliates, including governance, compliance, intellectual property strategy, and partnerships that support the Institute’s mission to uncover new knowledge in foundational biology and develop innovative ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.