Bravo Group
Bacterial immune systems
Bacteria are major causative agents of disease in humans. In addition, bacteria are under immense evolutionary pressure from their viral predators—bacteriophages—and have consequently developed numerous sophisticated immune systems to provide immunity. Recent technical breakthroughs have led to the discovery of over 200 previously undetected bacterial immune systems involved in anti-phage defense, antibiotic resistance, and bacterial pathogenesis. Notably, these novel systems represent an untapped treasure trove of tools for precision biotechnology, akin to CRISPR.
The Bravo group is particularly interested in understanding how diverse bacterial immune systems can identify self from non-self nucleic acids, and the consequences of activation. We use a combination of structural biology (typically cryo-electron microscopy), biochemistry, biophysics and functional assays to understand the molecular mechanisms that underpin immunity. Our emphasis on cryo-electron microscopy and pre-steady state kinetic analysis enables the visualization of transient intermediate conformational states, providing insights into the active enzymes’ dynamic and heterogeneous nature.
Our ultimate goal is not only understanding these systems but harnessing that knowledge for rational structure-based engineering. Through this approach, we aim to redesign these defense systems, tailoring them to possess specific, desirable properties. These engineered systems typically exhibit enhanced efficiency and specificity, transforming into potent tools for genome editing and diagnostics. By tapping into the diverse enzymatic activities of newly discovered defense systems, we aspire to unveil a new arsenal of precision tools for molecular biology, poised to shape the future of biotechnological advancements.
Team
Multiple positions are available!
Prospective PhD students or interns: please apply through https://phd.pages.ista.ac.at
Current Projects
Mechanistic bacterial immunity | Nucleoprotein complexes | Kinetics-guided structural biology
Publications
Ocampo RF, Bravo JPK, Dangerfield TL, Nocedal I, Jirde SA, Alexander LM, Thomas NC, Das A, Nielson S, Johnson KA, Brown CT, Butterfield CN, Goltsman DSA, Taylor DW. 2025. DNA targeting by compact Cas9d and its resurrected ancestor. Nature Communications. 16, 457. View
Bravo JPK. 2024. Anti-plasmid immunity: A key to pathogen success? Future Microbiology. 19(15), 1269–1272. View
Bravo JPK, Ramos DA, Fregoso Ocampo R, Ingram C, Taylor DW. 2024. Plasmid targeting and destruction by the DdmDE bacterial defence system. Nature. 630(8018), 961–967. View
Hibshman GN, Bravo JPK, Hooper MM, Dangerfield TL, Zhang H, Finkelstein IJ, Johnson KA, Taylor DW. 2024. Unraveling the mechanisms of PAMless DNA interrogation by SpRY-Cas9. Nature Communications. 15, 3663. View
ReX-Link: Jack Bravo
Career
Since 2024 Assistant Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2020 – 2024 Postdoc, University of Texas at Austin, USA
2019 Postdoc, Cambridge University, UK
2015 – 2019 PhD, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Selected Distinctions
2023 University of Texas at Austin Department of Molecular Biosciences Outstanding Research Paper Award