Dante Dullas, an MD/PhD candidate at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine, is focused on research that could influence the way physicians treat bacterial infections. His work investigates how uropathogenic E. coli form pili—hairlike fibers essential for the bacteria to attach to host cells and cause urinary tract infections.
Dullas began his academic journey with a BS in chemistry and an MS in biology from Stanford University. His undergraduate research experience led him to pursue both clinical practice and scientific discovery. He decided on Stony Brook’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) after conversations with mentors and current trainees highlighted its balanced approach between chemistry and biology.
In the laboratory of David Thanassi, Dullas is working on two main projects: developing assays to identify new drugs that can block protein-protein interactions necessary for pili assembly, and investigating how nitazoxanide—a drug already approved by the FDA as an antiparasitic—affects this process at a molecular level. The Thanassi Lab previously found that nitazoxanide disrupts pili formation in various Gram-negative bacteria, prompting further study into its mechanism of action.
David Thanassi commented on Dullas’s contributions: “The best part of my job as a faculty member is mentoring students like Dante. Dante exemplifies the combined clinical and basic research emphasis of the MD/PhD dual degree program and has brought great insights to the lab. It has been a real pleasure watching Dante push his project forward and apply his detailed molecular approach to a goal that we hope will have real clinical impact.”
Dullas describes his scientific perspective as shaped by his background in biophysical chemistry, stating, “Chemistry sits between physics and biology. It integrates the math and the physical rules of how molecules behave with the complexities of living systems.” He emphasizes that foundational science is crucial for advances in medicine: “Without basic science research, there is no starting point. You can’t design drugs or understand disease if you don’t first understand how molecules work.”
He credits Stony Brook’s collaborative environment for supporting his development as a researcher. According to Dullas, “Everyone is on a first-name basis. The environment is warm, and the research infrastructure has everything I need.” Access to shared equipment, new instrumentation investments, and proximity to Brookhaven National Laboratory have all contributed positively to his work.
Through participation in MSTP, Dullas encounters translational research regularly through peers from different fields: “I’m always absorbing how people in other fields investigate clinical problems,” he said.
Outside of science, Dullas draws inspiration from music—a former flutist who sees parallels between creativity in art and innovation in research: “I’m motivated by creation in all parts of my life,” he said.
Reflecting on graduate training, he noted: “Graduate research takes a long time, and you have to be okay with failure. Most discoveries are made by people in their twenties who are reading constantly, troubleshooting constantly, and dedicating years to pushing a question forward.”
As he continues at Stony Brook University Research & Innovation programs such as MSTP support researchers like Dullas as they develop skills aimed at improving patient care through scientific advancement.