Robertson Lab

Dr. Gregory Robertson’s research is focused on the field of Mycobacterium tuberculosis host-pathogen interactions with emphasis on the development of novel preclinical tools, use of TB mouse models for drug evaluation, and evaluation of drug activity and resistance in vitro and in vivo. He also leads preclinical animal studies as part of the Consortium for Applied Microbial Metrics including other investigators from the University of California San Francisco, Denver VA Medical Center, and CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

We are looking for talented researchers to join our team!

Contact to Join Our Team

research project

TB Drug Accelerator

Goal: (i) To identify in vivo active compounds, (ii) to enable more effective hit-to-lead and lead optimization cycles, and (iii) to support the selection of pre-clinical candidates as a service for the TB Drug Accelerator researchers.

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research project

Development of Novel Proteins Synthesis Inhibitors for MDR Tuberculosis

Goal: This proposal seeks to continue the development of the spectinamides as combination agents for MDR-TB, with a focus on their utility to treat chronic infections and as tools to understand the role of native efflux in tuberculosis drug persistence.

research project

IDENTIFYING CELL PENETRATING PEPTIDES TO TARGET TB

Goal: Tuberculosis is difficult to treat because many drugs are hindered in their ability to penetrate tissues that harbor the pathogen. We propose to overcome this problem by developing new technology based on peptides that recognize and home to TB-infected tissue as a means to target drug payloads to where they are needed most.

research project

NIAID/NIH funded UM1 cooperative agreement: PReclinical DesIgn and Clinical Translation of TB Regimens (PReDicTR) Consortium.

The core goal is to unite key scientists and dedicated stakeholders to build a translational research platform to accurately and efficiently identify and advance the most promising TB treatment regimens through the developmental pipeline into clinical trials.

research project

Validation of Mtb ribosomal RNA as a PD marker of treatment response

Goal: The primary output from this investment is the rapid and comprehensive characterization of novel RNA-based PD markers as measures of treatment-shortening potency.

Publications

Adaptive immunity shapes baseline physiology of M. tuberculosis in high-dose versus low-dose infection BALB/c mouse drug treatment models.
Hendrix J, Mubarak RA, Rossmassler K, Nielsen H, Wynn E, Moore C, Jones IL, Voskuil MI, Podell BK, Robertson GT, Wang C, Walter ND. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Mar 26:2026.03.26.714401. doi: 10.64898/2026.03.26.714401. PMID: 41928965.Free PMC article. Preprint.

Physiologic recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from drug injury: A molecular study of post antibiotic effect in vitro and in vivo.
Hendrix J, Al Mubarak R, Reichlen MJ, Tabor ST, Bateman A, Massoudi LM, Rossmassler K, Kaya F, Zimmerman MD, Nielsen H, Wynn EA, Voskuil MI, Robertson GT, Moore CM, Walter ND. PLoS Pathog. 2026 Apr 22;22(4):e1014131. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1014131. eCollection 2026 Apr. PMID: 42018569. Free PMC article.

Pretomanid vs delamanid in a bedaquiline-linezolid regimen: efficacy in a high-burden tuberculosis mouse model.
Cummings JE, Woolhiser LK, Guglielmi V, Romano A, Pauly S, Zimmerman M, Kaya F, Walter ND, Robertson GT, Slayden RA. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2026 Apr 29:e0195325. doi: 10.1128/aac.01953-25. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42053462

Diaryl-Aminoindazole with Extensive In Vitro Mycobactericidal Activity Dependent on Exposure to Reactive Nitrogen Species.
Warrier T, Martínez-Hoyos M, Porras De Francisco E, Lenaerts AJ, Gruppo V, Robertson GT, Li K, Aubé J, Bonnet I, Jiang X, Dartois V, Prideaux B, Mundhra S, Nathan CF, Mendoza-Losana A.  ACS Infect Dis. 2026 Feb 13;12(2):705-713. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00879. Epub 2026 Jan 6. PMID: 41494158; PMCID: PMC12910603.

Same class, different activity: Delamanid and pretomanid have comparable bactericidal activity but pretomanid potently inhibits Mycobacterium tuberculosis ribosomal rRNA synthesis.
Reichlen MJ, Musisi E, Tabor ST, Nielsen H, Gerwing AM, Kaya F, Zimmerman M, Voskuil MI, Robertson GT, Walter ND.  bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Dec 30:2025.12.30.697025. doi: 10.64898/2025.12.30.697025. PMID: 41509415; PMCID: PMC12776329.

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People

Gregory Robertson headshot.
Gregory Robertson, Ph.D.

Lab Principal Investigator [PI]
Assistant Professor

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Nathan Peroutka-Bigus

Research Scientist II

Allison Bauman headshot.
Allison Bauman

Research Associate III

Lisa Massoudi Headshot
Lisa Massoudi

Research Associate III

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Nicholas Egersdorf

Research Associate III

Noalani Benedict
Noalani Benedict, D.V.M.

Research Associate II

Andrew Markham

Graduate Researcher

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Hattie Aanestad

Student Researcher

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Maryann Bender

Student Researcher

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Ian Brannock

Student Researcher

Brenna Dowden
Brenna Dowden

Student Researcher

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Isabel Inman

Student Researcher

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Tyler Grossi

Student Researcher

Sierra Johnson
Sierra Johnson

Student Researcher

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Audrey Kram

Student Researcher

Amanda Kuzbiel

Student Researcher

Avni Mirajkar
Avni Mirajkar

Student Researcher

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Joshua Raahauge

Student Researcher

Josie Small
Josie Small

Student Researcher

Mia Stephens Halleslevens
Mia Stephens Halleslevens

Student Researcher

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contact information

Office:
Microbiology room B308

Laboratory:
Microbiology room B331

(970) 491-3750