Ambizione grantee Dr. Alaa Alhayek, currently a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Dirk Bumann’s team, will investigate how Staphylococcus aureus can cross intact human skin and reach deeper tissue layers. This bacterium often lives harmlessly on the skin, but it can also enter the body and cause serious infections, making it a major health concern worldwide, including in Switzerland.
“Clinical observations suggest that this surface bacterium can penetrate the skin without visible damage, potentially creating reservoirs for hard-to-treat skin and surgical-site infections,” says Alhayek. “Using native human skin explants, we aim to identify bacterial factors, entry routes and host responses that enable invasion.”
AI-based microscopy, bacterial mutant analysis, immunohistochemistry and visual proteomics will be used to study these mechanisms. The findings will also guide the future development of advanced 3D skin microtissue models that better reproduce the natural skin barrier. Her project entitled “SKIN-STAPH: Mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus penetration into human skin” will receive approximately CHF 815,000 in funding.
“This Ambizione Grant is a major milestone in my journey towards scientific independence, giving me the freedom to pursue the questions that genuinely drive my curiosity,” says Alhayek. “What excites me most about science is exploring the unknown and challenging what we think we know. This grant gives me the momentum to push those questions further and uncover new answers. I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited for what lies ahead.
Alaa Alhayek holds a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and completed her PhD in antimicrobial discovery at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland in Saarbrücken, Germany, in 2022. She has received several research awards and fellowships, including an EMBO Short-Term Fellowship, the Apotheker Jacob Award and was selected for antelope career program of the University of Basel. In August 2023, she joined the Biozentrum as a postdoctoral fellow.
Alhayek is one of 93 scientists in Switzerland to receive an SNSF Ambizione Grant this year. In total, 803 applications were submitted to the SNSF. Ambizione Grants give young scientists the opportunity to carry out their own research project. The funding instrument is aimed at qualified researchers from all disciplines who wish to conduct, manage and lead an independent project at a Swiss higher education institution. The grants are awarded for a maximum of four years.
Contact: Communications, Katrin Bühler