Dr. Wai-Leung Ng, a postdoctoral fellow in the Bassler lab, was awarded the K22 career award for this project Signal Transduction in the Major Quorum-Sensing Circuit of Vibrio cholera.Vibrio cholerae is a globally important pathogen and the burden of cholera is estimated to reach several million cases annually. V. cholerae virulence depends on a cell-cell communication process called quorum sensing that controls the production of virulence factors and the formation of biofilms. His research aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the quorum-sensing signal transduction pathway of V. cholerae. The goal is to expand our knowledge of how quorum sensing controls virulence in this important pathogen. Practically, this study will facilitate the development of synthetic strategies for controlling V. cholerae virulence and could have enormous ramifications for improving human health.