Proteins play critical roles in all biological processes. With a detailed knowledge of the three dimensional structure of a protein and how it interacts with its ligand and/or protein-partner(s), we can begin to understand its cellular function at the molecular level.

In the lab, we use a combination of molecular biological, microbiological, biochemical, as well as X-ray crystallographic and other biophysical techniques to determine the three-dimensional structure and function of our target proteins. Where appropriate our knowledge of the protein's substrate specificity or protein-protein interactions, and its mechanism of action are then used to help design novel specific therapeutic agents using structure based drug design approaches.

The proteins that we are studying play critical roles in bacterial biofilm development and metabolism, and can be divided into two main areas of interest:

1) Macromolecular Machines involved in biofilm development:

* Biosynthesis and export of Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate

* Assembly of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type IV pili

2) Metabolism:

* Methionine Recycling and Biological Methylation

* N-glycan Biosynthesis

* Arginine-citrulline/Urea cycle

The lab is also active in the area of:

Crystallographic methods development