Claire S. Laxton, PhD
she/her/hers
Postdoctoral AssociateAbout
Research
Publications
Featured Publications
The potential of saliva as an accessible and sensitive sample type for the detection of respiratory pathogens and host immunity
Laxton C, Peno C, Hahn A, Allicock O, Perniciaro S, Wyllie A. The potential of saliva as an accessible and sensitive sample type for the detection of respiratory pathogens and host immunity. The Lancet Microbe 2023, 4: e837-e850. PMID: 37516121, PMCID: PMC12614176, DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00135-0.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsSARS-CoV-2Respiratory pathogensPotential of salivaUsefulness of salivaUse of salivaRespiratory specimenRespiratory secretionsDisease burdenImmunological componentsImmunity surveillanceClinical utilityHost immunityClinical useDiagnostic testsNon-invasive natureSalivaCOVID-19 pandemicSample typesMethodological factorsPathogensImmunitySecretionEvidence for phospholipid export from the bacterial inner membrane by the Mla ABC transport system
Hughes G, Hall S, Laxton C, Sridhar P, Mahadi A, Hatton C, Piggot T, Wotherspoon P, Leney A, Ward D, Jamshad M, Spana V, Cadby I, Harding C, Isom G, Bryant J, Parr R, Yakub Y, Jeeves M, Huber D, Henderson I, Clifton L, Lovering A, Knowles T. Evidence for phospholipid export from the bacterial inner membrane by the Mla ABC transport system. Nature Microbiology 2019, 4: 1692-1705. PMID: 31235958, DOI: 10.1038/s41564-019-0481-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMla pathwayInner membraneAsymmetric Gram-negative outer membranePhospholipid transportRetrograde phospholipid transportGram-negative outer membranePhospholipid-binding pocketABC transport systemSoluble periplasmic proteinBacterial inner membraneInner membrane ATPaseIndependent of ATPClosed apo conformationPhospholipid exportPeriplasmic proteinsMlaFEDB complexOuter membraneApo formApo conformationLipid exportMembrane ATPaseExport processPathwayMembraneMLAC
2026
Bioactive enhanced adjuvant chemokine oligonucleotide nanoparticles (BEACONs) for mucosal vaccination against genital herpes.
Bhagchandani SH, Ehrenzeller S, Pires IS, Chaudhary N, Booth CJ, Kwon DI, Koutsioumpa C, Baker CA, Laxton C, Santos Guedes de Sá K, Matthews C, Gill P, Li S, Olszowka A, Hudak A, Fischer S, Bayarri-Olmos R, Hooper WB, Iwasaki A. Bioactive enhanced adjuvant chemokine oligonucleotide nanoparticles (BEACONs) for mucosal vaccination against genital herpes. Sci Immunol 2026, 11: eaea6419. PMID: 42319912, DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aea6419.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates a novel vaccine strategy using BEACONs, a mucosal adjuvant, to enhance localized immunity and protect against genital herpes by boosting tissue-resident T cells and antibodies.
2025
Storage stability of non-encapsulated pneumococci in saliva is dependent on null-capsule clade, with strains carrying aliC and aliD showing a competitive disadvantage during culture enrichment
Laxton C, Allicock O, Peno C, Lin T, Koelewijn A, Toekiran F, Aguilar L, York A, Wyllie A. Storage stability of non-encapsulated pneumococci in saliva is dependent on null-capsule clade, with strains carrying aliC and aliD showing a competitive disadvantage during culture enrichment. Microbiology 2025, 171: 001585. PMID: 40748653, PMCID: PMC12316466, DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001585.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNESp strainsRates of genetic exchangeCultural enrichmentExtraction-free methodGenetic exchangeCE-based methodCompetitive fitnessCE-DNACarriage surveillanceDNA extractionGlycerol supplementationQPCR assayCirculating pneumococciAntimicrobial resistanceCladeEncapsulated pneumococciNCC1Oral microbesNESPStrainDNAStudy specimensCarriage studiesQPCRCarriage prevalenceAn abundance of aliC and aliD genes were identified in saliva using a novel multiplex qPCR to characterize group II non-encapsulated pneumococci with improved specificity
Laxton C, Toekiran F, Lin T, Lomeda B, Hislop M, Keller L, Allicock O, Wyllie A. An abundance of aliC and aliD genes were identified in saliva using a novel multiplex qPCR to characterize group II non-encapsulated pneumococci with improved specificity. Microbiology 2025, 171: 001555. PMID: 40279151, PMCID: PMC12282236, DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001555.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBioinformatics analysisMultiplex qPCRGenome sequenceGenetic exchangeCapsule genesCps regionPolymicrobial samplesIsolated coloniesNon-pneumococcal streptococciPublished primersSpecies specificityMolecular methodsQPCR assayEncapsulated strainsGenesAntimicrobial resistancePneumococcal surveillance studiesMultiplex assayScreening salivaAssayStreptococciSequenceIsolatesColoniesPneumococcal carriage
2021
Surface-tethered planar membranes containing the β-barrel assembly machinery: a platform for investigating bacterial outer membrane protein folding
Hall S, Clifton L, Sridhar P, Hardy D, Wotherspoon P, Wright J, Whitehouse J, Gamage N, Laxton C, Hatton C, Hughes G, Jeeves M, Knowles T. Surface-tethered planar membranes containing the β-barrel assembly machinery: a platform for investigating bacterial outer membrane protein folding. Biophysical Journal 2021, 120: 5295-5308. PMID: 34757080, PMCID: PMC8715194, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.10.033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOuter membrane proteinsBAM complexOuter membraneInserts outer membrane proteinsOuter membrane protein functionsOuter membrane protein foldingOuter membrane of Gram-negative bacteriaMembrane of Gram-negative bacteriaMembrane protein foldingQuartz crystal microbalanceSelf-assembled monolayersGram-negative bacteriaPhospholipid bilayer environmentAssembly machineryProtein foldingCrystal microbalanceMembrane proteinsGold surfaceStructural characterizationBiological functionsPolarized neutron reflectometryDissipation monitoringBilayer environmentComplex foldingProtein
2017
Isolation of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Multidrug-resistant Elizabethkingia meningoseptica From Neonates Within Minutes of Birth
Kwambana-Adams B, Laxton C, Foster-Nyarko E, Laxton C, Weinstock G, Antonio M. Isolation of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Multidrug-resistant Elizabethkingia meningoseptica From Neonates Within Minutes of Birth. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2017, 36: 123-124. PMID: 27941472, DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000001368.Commentaries, Editorials and Letters
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Links
Get In Touch
Contacts
Locations
The Anlyan Center
Lab
300 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06519
Yale School of Public Health (LEPH)
Lab
60 College Street
New Haven, CT 06510