My laboratory is interested in the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in mycobacteria.
Mycobacteria are important human pathogens.
Tuberculosis is the most deadly infectious disease caused by a single infectious bacterial species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Between 2 to 3 million people die from this disease every year and the total number of infected individuals is estimated to be 1.7 billion around the world. M. leprae causes leprosy, with about 12 million patients world wide. Two mechanisms, the mycobacterial cell wall permeability barrier and the multidrug efflux pumps are thought to contribute to the natural drug resistance of mycobacteria. We are studying these two mechanisms using a combination of genetic, biochemical and biophysical methods.