Research
Overview
Infectious diseases account for a third of deaths worldwide, and are the third leading cause of death in Canada. Bacterial resistance to standard antibiotic therapies is a critical health problem worldwide, and has led to increased morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs in the clinic and community.
The research in our laboratory aims to address the antibiotic crisis in two ways:
- Understand at the molecular level how antibiotic resistance mechanisms work in bacteria
- Characterize and design inhibitors for entirely novel antibiotic targets found in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria
Our Projects
Antibiotic Resistance
Membrane Transport
Cell Wall & Cell Surface BiogenesisTechniques We Use
To illuminate the molecular basis of antibiotic resistance and viability/pathogenicity afforded by the proteins involved, we use a multidisciplinary structural biology approach that relies on x-ray crystallography, NMR, and electron microscopy, complemented by phenotypic analysis in vitro and in vivo. Many of the bacterial proteins and protein complexes we study are membrane associated, adding to the challenge of achieving their structural, biochemical, and in vivo characterization. Our lab is equipped with state of the art equipment for protein purification, biophysical analysis, high-throughput crystallization and x-ray data collection. In addition, we have access to world-class facilities at UBC including the bioimaging sweet and NMR facility.
Funding
The Strynadka Lab gratefully acknowledges the following agencies for funding our research work:
