Belisle Lab

Dr. John Belisle’s research focuses on the biochemistry of bacterial pathogens (in particular Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae and Borrelia burgdorferi) and the diseases they cause: tuberculosis, leprosy and Lyme disease. He has a particular interest in how disease-causing bacteria and their hosts respond to one another at a biochemical level.

Research activities in Dr. Belisle’s laboratory have included the purification and characterization of bacterial proteins (including enzymes), lipids, and glycolconjugates; elucidation of biochemical processes; discovery of diagnostic and vaccine antigens; and the definition of specific molecular interactions involving the innate immune response. Most recently, Dr. Belisle has investigated host metabolic responses to identify biochemical pathways altered in response to bacterial infection and disease, and to apply this approach to identify novel biomarkers and biosignatures of disease progression and treatment outcome.

Dr. Belisle is co-director of the Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases, and the Belisle Lab is a part of the Mycobacteria Research Laboratories.

research project

The Study of Host-Pathogen Interactions in Leprosy

The pathogen Mycobacterium leprae is responsible for ~200,000 new cases of leprosy annually. The Belisle laboratory is studying how the metabolism of this obligate intracellular pathogen and the human host are entwined and drive the neuropathology of leprosy. The laboratory also studies how M. leprae products stimulate immune responses.

research project

Metabolic Responses to Tuberculosis and Tuberculosis Treatment

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections are responsible for one of the globe’s most common infectious diseases, tuberculosis. Through the application of metabolomics and other research tools, the Belisle laboratory is studying the metabolic response in tuberculosis to develop prognostic markers of disease progression and treatment response, and to further understanding of this pathogen's success.

research project

Host Metabolic Biosignatures for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Lyme Disease

Dr. Belisle’s laboratory is investigating the use of metabolomics and host metabolic biosignatures to develop novel diagnostics and prognostics tools for Lyme disease. Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Diagnosis of early Lyme disease remains difficult and delay in treatment can result in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.

research project

The Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases

Along with Dr. Rushika Perera, Dr. Belisle is the co-director of the Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases. The center brings together the expertise of over 15 CSU research laboratories to enable development of new treatments, preventions, and diagnostics for infectious diseases by resolving host-vector-pathogen-environment interactions at a metabolic level.

view project

Publications

 Inhibition of de novo fatty acid synthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Roszkowski EK, Charap S, Montague CR, Sukheja P, McNamara CW, Soma PS, Islam MN, Graham B, Grzegorzewicz AE, Jackson M, Yang B, Hay AG, Russell DG, Belisle JT, VanderVen BC. J Biol Chem. 2025 Dec 8;302(1):111022. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.111022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41371338.

Perturbed pediatric circulating metabolome in mild and severe dengue disease.
Soma PS, Gullberg RC, Graham B, Islam MN, Kuan G, Balmaseda A, Blair CD, Beaty BJ, Belisle JT, Harris E, Perera R. Perturbed pediatric circulating metabolome in mild and severe dengue disease. J Virol. 2025 Oct 29:e0157225. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01572-25. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41159750.

Evaluating the efficacy of HRZE-based regimens in a high-burden murine model: a back-translational assessment of rifamycins and moxifloxacin substitutions in tuberculosis treatment
Cummings JE, Woolhiser LK, Guglielmi V, Wernsman M, Romano A, Pauly S, Belisle JT, Walter ND, Robertson GT, Slayden RA. Front Pharmacol. 2025 Sep 15;16:1667592. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1667592. PMID: 41031156; PMCID: PMC12477428.

Spatial profiling reveals TREM2+ macrophages as central to Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis in human pulmonary tuberculosis.
Teles RMB, Benabdessalem C, Perrie J, Wei C, West J, de Andrade Silva BJ, Andrade PR, Mansky L, Divakar P, Fischbacher L, Lam K, Ma F, Rategh K, Pillai A, French SM, Romdhane E, Barbouche MR, Klechevsky E, Colonna M, Steyn AJC, Bensinger S, Barber DL, Rammeh S, Dulai PS, Bryson BD, Pellegrini M, Belisle JT, Bloom BR, Modlin RL. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Aug 8:2025.07.15.664002. doi: 10.1101/2025.07.15.664002. PMID: 40791339 Free PMC article. Preprint.

Impact of protein prenylation inhibition on Mycobacterium leprae viability and IL-1β production in infected macrophages.
da Silva Rocha M, Rodrigues Pereira AM, Freire Dos Santos PM, Alves Dias A, Pontes Pereira M, Sammarco Rosa P, Bertoluci DFF, Belisle JT, Ramalho Costa FdM, de Macedo CS, Vidal Pessolani MC, Berrêdo-Pinho M. J Bacteriol. 2025 Aug 27:e0018525. doi: 10.1128/jb.00185-25. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40862607

more publications

People

John Belisle
John Belisle, Ph.D.

Lab Principal Investigator [PI]
Professor
Director, Mycobacteria Research Laboratories
Co-Director, Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases (C4MInD)

Shae Wheeler

Graduate Research Assistant

Rianne Lambrecht headshot
Rianne Lambrecht

Research Coordinator

Machenzie Wernsman
Machenzie Wernsman

Student Researcher

news and updates view all

December 2, 2020 Five research teams selected for Catalyst for Innovative Partnership funding

The Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases (C4MInD) co-led by John Belisle and Rushika Perera, enables the development of new treatments, preventions, and diagnostics for infectious diseases by resolving host-vector-pathogen-environment interactions at a metabolic level.
December 31, 2018 CO-Labs: 2018 Governor’s Awards for High-Impact Research winner: CDC & CSU [Video]

Awarded a 2018 Colorado Governor’s Award for High-Impact Research, CDC & CSU principal investigators explain their proof-of-concept study that can be applied to develop an innovative diagnostic test for early Lyme disease.
October 29, 2018 CDC-CSU team wins governor’s award for research

A team of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Colorado State University was recognized with one of the 2018 CO-LABS Governor’s Awards for High-Impact Research for identifying a way to distinguish Lyme disease from similar illnesses.

contact information

Office: Research Innovation Center room D111

Lab: Research Innovation Center room D139

(970) 491-8905