Project Overview

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health concern, and studying how bacteria defend themselves against viral infections like bacteriophages can offer new insights for tackling drug-resistant pathogens. Our research focuses on bacterial innate immune systems, particularly newly identified and less explored defense pathways. These systems are diverse and often involve intricate protein-protein interactions that enable bacteria to detect and neutralize foreign genetic material. Although much about their mechanisms remains to be discovered, they offer exciting possibilities for uncovering novel biological processes.

Understanding these systems can contribute to the development of alternative antimicrobial strategies and shed light on the evolution of immune responses. Using advanced techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, we aim to study these molecular interactions in detail. This work offers exposure to interdisciplinary research across microbiology, structural biology, and drug discovery.

Significance

This project explores unexplored bacterial defense systems to better understand antimicrobial resistance and support the development of new treatment approaches.