The three active projects in my lab seem to me quite distinct, but they do fit a common theme: figuring out new ways to treat bacterial diseases. In one project, we're making progress in isolating new antibiotics from soil microorganisms. In another project, we're working out a new treatment for a bacterial disease (acne) that uses bacteriophage (viruses) that specifically kill the microorganisms responsible. The third project is a study of the virulence genes of the intestinal pathogen Shigella flexneri, in which we hope to develop chemotherapeutic agents which can render these bacteria avirulent.
