About
For over fifteen years, Dr. Walzer has studied the genetics and genomics of apicomplexan parasites, including Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum, and Cryptosporidium parvum. As an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Walzer worked with Dr. Jon Boyle on the comparative genomics of T. gondii and its closest relative, nonpathogenic Hammondia hammondi. After earning her Bachelor of Science as a dual major in Biological Sciences and English Writing, she pursued a PhD in Genetics and Genomics at Duke University under the tutelage of Dr. Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi. Her dissertation work focused on the development of single-cell approaches to study the transcriptional heterogeneity of P. falciparum parasites during their asexual and sexual cycles. Of note, Dr. Walzer identified genes expressed in either male or female parasites as early as mid-stage sexual development, providing more robust markers for P. falciparum sex-specific differentiation. Dr. Walzer performed her postdoctoral research under the guidance of Dr. Boris Striepen at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she studied the transcriptional regulation of the C. parvum life cycle. She developed the C. parvum single-cell atlas and identified the transcription factor Myb-M as the earliest determinant of male fate. Dr. Walzer joined the Department of Biological Sciences and the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center at Clemson University in 2025 as an assistant professor.
Visit Dr. Walzer's Faculty Profile.
How their research is transforming health care
The parasite Cryptosporidium is the leading cause of diarrhea outbreaks in the United States linked to treated recreational water and is the third leading cause of diarrhea associated with animal contact. There is no vaccine and only limited treatment. Cryptosporidium is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and invades the epithelial cells of the small intestine. It propagates via a programmed countdown to sex, with three asexual cycles followed by the production of male and female gametes. This makes both asexual and sexual replication essential for continuous infection and transmission. I determined the complete life cycle transcriptome of Cryptosporidium parvum during my postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Boris Striepen’s lab. I created a single-cell atlas which maps the expression of every C. parvum gene across parasite development. This enabled me and my colleagues to pinpoint the timing of important regulators of cell cycle progression and fate. These regulators include AP2 and Myb transcription factors. During my postdoctoral fellowship, I discovered that transcription factor Myb-M is necessary and sufficient to drive male fate. Now, my lab will identify the targets of Myb-M and unravel the transcriptional switch that leads to male. My lab will determine the regulatory networks of transcription factors across asexual and sexual development. The Walzer Lab will also define the largely uncharacterized machinery involved in male gamete egress, motility, attachment, and fusion. This will uncover how a male gamete traverses the harsh conditions of the gut to find and fertilize a female.
Health Research Expertise Keywords
Cryptosporidium, Cryptosporidiosis, Diarrheal Disease, Gut Health, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Infectious Disease, Zoonotic Disease, Molecular Parasitology
