Barton Slatko

New England Biolabs (MA, USA)

Dr Slatko received his BA and PhD from the University of Texas, Austin (Zoology, Genetics), followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of Caifornia, Davis. He subsequently taught and performed research in the Biology Department at Williams College before joining New England Biolabs (NEB). Over the years, his laboratory has been involved with the development of new products and applications for the biotechnology industry. His lab also houses the nucleic acid sequencing core at NEB, containing both Sanger and “NextGen” capabilities. Research in Dr Slatko’s lab is currently focused on two main projects: (1) understanding the evolution and biology of the obligate Wolbachia endosymbiont present in the majority of human and animal filarial nematode parasites, affecting over 120 million people (with 1 billion individuals at risk) and is the second leading cause of disablement worldwide, and (2) microbiome projects, including metagenomic analysis from patient samples when infected with intestinal parasites such as Giardia or hookworm.

Dr Slatko also has a strong interest in science education, especially at the lower grade levels. He has been a reviewing editor and board member of BioTechniques since its inception.