Dr Camilla Ciolli Mattioli

Our research and approach

The research group led by Camilla Ciolli Mattioli decodes how intracellular bacteria, like Salmonella, survive, persist, and evade destruction within host cells. By revealing the molecular mechanisms that determine infection outcomes, the team aims to develop new strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.

Antibiotic-resistant intracellular pathogens pose a critical threat: they hide inside our cells, evading both immune defenses and antibiotics. Understanding how these bacteria adapt and survive requires capturing the full picture of host-pathogen interactions at single-cell resolution in physiologically-relevant infection models—something current technologies cannot achieve.

Camilla Ciolli Mattioli’s group develops innovative platforms that simultaneously capture host and pathogen gene expression at single-cell resolution during infection. The researchers complement this with spatial transcriptomics to map interactions within native tissue architectures and CRISPR-based molecular recording systems to trace bacterial transcriptional histories. 

By integrating spatial, temporal, and phenotypic dimensions—using image-enabled cell sorting to isolate specific infection outcomes—the group identifies molecular switches that determine whether bacteria persist, replicate, or face elimination. Its goal is to discover vulnerabilities in bacterial survival strategies and reveal therapeutic targets that redirect infections toward pathogen clearance, advancing the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Team members

Dr Camilla Ciolli Mattioli

Group Leader