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Lecturer in Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
antibiotics
antibiotic resistance
nuclear magnetic resonance
membrane biophysics
The focus of research in my group is on investigations of the molecular mechanisms, which underpin the recognition and disruption of plasma membranes by protein and peptide antibiotics and toxins.… read more
The focus of research in my group is on investigations of the molecular mechanisms, which underpin the recognition and disruption of plasma membranes by protein and peptide antibiotics and toxins. The design of effective and safe biologically active compounds relies on knowledge of the atomic details form such protein-target or peptide-target interactions. A range of biophysical techniques including modern solid state NMR, electron microscopy and neutron reflectivity is used to investigate protein-lipid, protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, as well as the structure of peptides in their bioactive form on the target membranes.I am particularly interested in the recognition of membrane-associated bacterial cell wall intermediates by antibiotics, which inhibit bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. One such example is the interaction between bacterial lantibiotic nisin from Lactococcus lactis and its target, membrane-associated Lipid II (also targeted by vancomycin).
Lipid phases; high-pressure NMR; toxins;
We develop:
antibiotic systems for the control of bacteria, resistant to traditional chemotherapy;
mechanisms for rapid detection and preliminary identification of bacteria;
We investigate:
the structure and folding of membrane proteins, specifically, of bacterial outer membrane proteins;
University of Nottingham Medical SchoolQueen's Medical Centre Nottingham, NG7 2UH
telephone: +44 (0) 115 823 0141 email: enquiries