Publications by John McKinney | EPFL Graph Search

A hermetically closed sample chamber enables time-lapse nano-characterization of pathogenic microorganisms in vitro

Georg Fantner, John McKinney, Navid Asmari Saadabad, Santiago Harald Andany

Pathogenic microorganisms, such as pathogenic mycobacteria, pose a global health burden. Studying these organisms is crucial for gaining detailed knowledge about the pathogens and the diseases they cause. To handle pathogenic organisms, specific biosafety ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2025

Open-source microscope add-on for structured illumination microscopy

Theo Lasser, Matthias Lütolf, Aleksandra Radenovic, Andrew Charles Oates, Georg Fantner, John McKinney, Nathan Cyprien Arsène Ronceray, Olivier François Venzin, Antonius Chrisnandy, Prabhu Prasad Swain

Super-resolution techniques expand the abilities of researchers who have the knowledge and resources to either build or purchase a system. This excludes the part of the research community without these capabilities. Here we introduce the openSIM add-on to ...

Nature Portfolio2024

Revitalizing antibiotic discovery and development through in vitro modelling of in-patient conditions

John McKinney, Alexandre Louis André Persat

In vitro models mimicking in-patient conditions have the potential to yield exciting opportunities for antibiotic research and revitalize future antibiotic discovery and development. ...

Nature Portfolio2024

Mechanical morphotype switching as an adaptive response in mycobacteria

Georg Fantner, John McKinney, Chiara Toniolo

Invading microbes face a myriad of cidal mechanisms of phagocytes that inflict physical damage to microbial structures. How intracellular bacterial pathogens adapt to these stresses is not fully understood. Here, we report the discovery of a virulence mech ...

Amer Assoc Advancement Science2024

UROPOT: study protocol for a randomized, double-blind phase I/II trial for metabolism-based potentiation of antimicrobial prophylaxis in the urological tract

John McKinney

Background: Urinary tract catheters, including Double-J or ureteral stents, are prone to bacterial colonization forming biofilms and leading to asymptomatic bacteriuria. In the context of asymptomatic bacteriuria, endourological procedures causing mucosa-i ...

2024

Mechanopathology of biofilm-like Mycobacterium tuberculosis cords

John McKinney, Graham Knott, Neeraj Dhar, Nicolas Jean Philippe Guex, Jessica Sordet, Maxime Jan, Richa Mishra, Mélanie Thérèse Marie Hannebelle, Vivek Vijay Thacker, Kunal Sharma

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cultured axenically without detergent forms biofilm-like cords, a clinical identifier of virulence. In lung-on-chip (LoC) and mouse models, cords in alveolar cells contribute to suppression of innate immune signaling via nu ...

Cell Press2023

Uptake-independent killing of macrophages by extracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis aggregates

John McKinney, Neeraj Dhar, Chiara Toniolo

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is initiated by inhalation of bacteria into lung alveoli, where they are phagocytosed by resident macrophages. Intracellular Mtb replication induces the death of the infected macrophages and the release of bacteri ...

WILEY2023

Investigating the composition and recruitment of the mycobacterial ImuA'-ImuB-DnaE2 mutasome

John McKinney, Neeraj Dhar, Zela Alexandria-Mae Martin

A DNA damage-inducible mutagenic gene cassette has been implicated in the emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis during anti-tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy. However, the molecular composition and operation of the encoded 'mycobacterial ...

Elife Sciences Publ Ltd2023

Preexisting Heterogeneity of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression Drives Differential Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Macrophages

John McKinney, Ophélie Rutschmann, Chiara Toniolo

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is initiated by the inhalation and implantation of bacteria in the lung alveoli, where they are phagocytosed by macrophages. Even a single bacterium may be sufficient to initiate infection. Thereafter, the clinical outc ...

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY2022

Seeing and Touching the Mycomembrane at the Nanoscale

Georg Fantner, John McKinney

Mycobacteria have unique cell envelopes, surface properties and growth dynamics, which all play a part in the ability of these important pathogens to infect, evade host immunity, disseminate and to resist antibiotic challenges. Recent atomic force microsco ...

American Society for Microbiology2021