Phage Defense Genes (PDGs) are the building blocks of the bacterial immune system. Although recent research has identified numerous new PDGs, their mechanisms of action and evolutionary dynamics are still largely unknown. To deepen our understanding, we focus on studying the interactions between PDGs as a way to further classify these systems. Unlike traditional statistical models, which assume sample independence, our approach corrects for the phylogenetic relationships between observations. This allows us to uncover evolutionary correlations and negative associations between PDGs. The insights gained will help generate hypotheses about the true mechanisms of PDGs. Moreover, this method can be applied to any binary character on a phylogeny, such as linking genes to disease phenotypes.

Through this SuperUROP I wish to improve my ability to computationally analyze biological data and learn to use these results to generate concrete experimental findings. Hopefully this will prepare me to be an effective researcher who can bridge discovery and application