We Seek To Learn How Bacteria Built Their Cell Envelope
Our lab tackles the urgent challenge of antibiotic resistance by revealing how Streptococcus pneumoniae assembles its cell envelope, a critical structure for its survival and pathogenicity.
Pneumococcus is a leading cause of pneumonia, claiming the largest number of years of life lost (YLLs) worldwide.
The lab aims to accelerate the development of new vaccines and therapies to outpace resistance and reduce the global burden of pneumococcal diseases.
We study glycan synthesis in bacteria, combining genetics, systems biology, biochemistry, and cell biology approaches to explore three central themes: the roles of surface glycans in attachment and immune evasion,
the biology of enzymes responsible for capsule synthesis, and the coordination required for assembling the cell envelope.
Our discoveries contribute to a deeper understanding of pneumococcal biology and lay the foundation for novel approaches in glycoengineering and systems biology.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) kills approximately 700,000 people worldwide annually. It is a leading cause of YLLs in adults and child mortality. To establish an infection, pneumococci synthesize the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) to evade the host's immune responses. CPS determines antigenicity because it is the outermost layer of the cell. Thus, all clinically relevant vaccines against pneumococcus target the CPS layer. Our research program focuses on elucidating how the cell synthesizes CPS and the regulation that governs its synthesis spatiotemporally.
Fig 1. Electron micrograph showing Streptococcus pneumoniae with its sugar coat.
Fig 2. Electron micrograph showing Streptococcus pneumoniae without sugar coat.
