Scott J. Hultgren

Scott J. Hultgren, the Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology, is director of the Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research at the School of Medicine.

Hultgren is a pioneering researcher in nonantibiotic treatments and preventives for urinary tract infections (UTIs), one of the most common infections. The Hultgren Lab uses diverse techniques and blend multiple scientific disciplines to elucidate bacterial and host mechanisms that determine the onset, course and outcome of interactions between the host urinary tract and bacterial pathogens. The work is changing the way UTIs are evaluated, re-shaping models of bacterial infections in general, and spawning development of novel vaccines and anti-microbial therapeutics to diagnose, treat and prevent UTIs and their sequelae.

He has published over 180 peer-reviewed and 80 invited publications 

Hultgren co-founded Fimbrion Therapeutics, which is developing decoy sugars known as mannosides for use as nonlethal antimicrobials to eliminate bacteria from the urinary tract. These compounds are in phase 1 clinical trials. He is also a co-founder of QureTech Bio, which is working to develop first-line drugs to combat infectious diseases and prevent antibiotic resistance.

Hultgren is also an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.