Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to human health. I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon in Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, with a particular focus on “old” classes of antibiotics, such as nitrofurans, and large antimicrobials that often fail to accumulate inside Gram-negative bacterial cells. This understanding is essential for designing next-generation antibiotics or antibiotic-adjuvant combinations that can evade resistance mechanisms with the ultimate goal of treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Plasmid-dependent bacteriophage

Bacteriophage is the natural predator of bacteria. Plasmid-dependent bacteriophage refers to a group of phages that specifically exploit plasmid-encoded type-IV secretion systems to enter bacterial cells. This unique mechanism of host recognition makes them promising candidates for promoting the loss of or limiting the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes carried on conjugative plasmids. I have been investigating the molecular mechanisms behind different stages of infection by plasmid-dependent bacteriophages, including filamentous inoviruses and membrane-containing alphatectiviruses, using genetic, genomic, structural and imaging approaches. A deep understanding of their biology will facilitate development and application of natural plasmid-dependent bacteriophages and engineered phage-derived particles in basic research and practical applications, such as phage therapy, bioremediation, diagnostics and vaccine development.