Georgia State University’s Dr. Zehava Eichenbaum will be presenting a lecture titled,The Yang and the Ying of Heme Metabolism and Pathophysiology of Group A Streptococcus.  GAS is a hemolytic pathogen that produces millions of infections worldwide leading to acute diseases, post-infection sequelae, and severe complications. In the absence of an available vaccine, new means to protect from GAS infections are urgently needed. Heme is the most abundant form of iron in the human body, yet free metal is extremely scarce in the host. Group A Streptococcus readily obtains heme from host hemoproteins and uses it for growth in iron-depleted environments, despite heme being a lipophilic and pro-oxidant molecule that damages cellular constituents. Therefore, heme is both a critical nutrient (Yang) and a noxious agent (Ying). This seminar describes our findings regarding the mechanisms Group A streptococcus use to obtain heme from the host while balancing toxicity, and how the heme uptake machinery could be exploited for the development of new prevention and intervention strategies.