Each year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized with staph infections. Caused by bacteria entering the body through cuts or abrasions in the skin, many strains of Staphylococcus aureus have evolved resistance to standard antibiotics, complicating treatment options for suffering patients and increasing the urgency for new approaches to fighting these infections. Luckily, researchers like Tyler Brown (PhD ’26, MMBIO) are determined to find potential solutions. Working in the Wilson Lab at BYU, Brown is studying how Staphylococcus aureus acquires the key amino acids it needs to survive within the human body, hoping to use this knowledge to disrupt the process and thereby help lower the doses required for certain antibiotics.
For Brown, the opportunity to engage with science on a daily basis is a long-held dream come true. His fascination with understanding the natural world began early and only deepened over time. “I was the little kid who flipped over rocks and looked for bugs,” Brown shares with a chuckle. “And now I work with bacteria, which are a bit smaller than the organisms I used to find under rocks, but arguably just as exciting.” That fascination with small forms of life eventually led Brown to microbiology.
“I specifically study the amino acids alanine and glycine, which are key components of the bacterial cell wall,” Brown explains. “Without access to these amino acids, the unwanted bacteria cannot survive.” Under stressful conditions, Staphylococcus aureus requires larger amounts of alanine from its environment in order to build the components necessary for survival. Brown and his colleagues discovered that glycine can disrupt this process. This interaction has important implications for antibiotic treatment, as Brown’s work suggests that glycine may enhance the effectiveness of an antibiotic called D-cycloserine. When small amounts of glycine are introduced, the bacteria become significantly more sensitive to the drug, meaning lower doses of the antibiotic may be required to stop infection. “We’re still in the very early stages,” Brown shares, “but the results so far are very promising.”
Working on this project in the lab with eager undergraduates, Brown finds ample opportunity to tap into the enthusiasm and curiosity that defined his early experiences with science. He is a dedicated lab mentor and teaching assistant, always willing to help those around him navigate technical challenges or brainstorm new ideas—a role he says is made easy by the passion and dedication of the undergraduates he works with. “You’re reminded of the little things when you’re with undergraduates,” Brown says. “Laboratory techniques that I’ve done many times are new to them; it reminds me that the methods we use are absolutely mind blowing. It takes me back to when I was that excited little kid flipping over rocks and looking for bugs.”
For Brown, working alongside students has reinforced the concept that science is ultimately a process of continual learning—a process which deeply appeals to him. “Science can be frustrating,” he admits. “Things go wrong all the time. But when you take the time to adjust your technique you can change the outcome. That’s been a powerful lesson for me: that I can make mistakes, and I can choose to change. I think that’s ultimately what makes a good scientist.”
Brown is currently considering an offer to continue his research at a research institute in Montana. As he prepares for the next stage of his professional career, he reflects on the challenges of graduate school and the uncertainties of scientific research with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. “I love what I do,” he shares. “I come in every day, and I get to learn about life. I feel so grateful that I get to do that.” Though he has now traded in bugs for bacteria, his curiosity and passion for science has remained unaltered. Brown sees the pursuit of knowledge as inseparable from the desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others.