Dante Dullas, an MD/PhD candidate at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine, is conducting research that could influence how doctors treat bacterial infections. His focus is on the molecular mechanisms that allow uropathogenic E. coli to cause urinary tract infections, a widespread health issue.
Dullas began his academic career at Stanford, earning degrees in chemistry and biology. His interest in both medicine and scientific discovery led him to choose a dual-degree program. “I felt torn between being only a physician or only a scientist,” he said. “I wanted to treat patients, but I also felt drawn toward teaching, mentoring and discovery.” He found Stony Brook appealing for its balanced approach to chemistry and biology research.
Working under David Thanassi, whose lab studies how E. coli bacteria build pili—structures crucial for infection—Dullas has taken on projects aimed at drug development. “The best part of my job as a faculty member is mentoring students like Dante,” Thanassi said. “Dante exemplifies the combined clinical and basic research emphasis of the MD/PhD dual degree program and has brought great insights to the lab. It has been a real pleasure watching Dante push his project forward and apply his detailed molecular approach to a goal that we hope will have real clinical impact.”
Dullas’s work involves developing tests to find drugs that block protein interactions necessary for pili assembly and studying how nitazoxanide—a drug already approved for other uses—disrupts this process in various Gram-negative bacteria. Understanding these effects could help guide future treatments.
His background in biophysical chemistry shapes his perspective on research problems. “Chemistry sits between physics and biology,” he said. “It integrates the math and the physical rules of how molecules behave with the complexities of living systems.” Dullas believes foundational science is essential: “Without basic science research, there is no starting point,” he said. “You can’t design drugs or understand disease if you don’t first understand how molecules work.”
The collaborative environment at Stony Brook has also played an important role in his training. He described the Medical Scientist Training Program administration as accessible and praised the supportive culture among Microbiology faculty and staff: “Everyone is on a first-name basis,” he said. The university’s resources—including shared equipment, new instrumentation, and proximity to Brookhaven National Laboratory—have supported his work.
Through interactions with peers in different fields within MSTP, Dullas sees value in diverse approaches to clinical problems: “I’m always absorbing how people in other fields investigate clinical problems,” he said. “It has shown me that any research can be impactful.” His openness extends to potential medical specialties as well: “I have to go into it with an anything-is-possible mentality,” he said.
Outside science, Dullas draws connections between creativity in music—he once trained as a flutist—and scientific innovation: “I’m motivated by creation in all parts of my life,” he said. He believes creative expression helps sustain researchers during challenging periods: “Moments of creative work let you feel things and stay grounded,” he added.
Reflecting on graduate training, Dullas emphasized perseverance: “Graduate research takes a long time, and you have to be okay with failure,” he said. “Most discoveries are made by people in their twenties who are reading constantly, troubleshooting constantly, and dedicating years to pushing a question forward.”
He remains committed to advancing knowledge that could eventually improve patient care outcomes.
