Details
- Close date
- No date set
- Academic background
- Health Sciences
- Host campus
- Christchurch
- Qualification
- Honours
- Department
- Pathology and Biomedical Science (Christchurch)
- Supervisor
- Dr Nina Dickerhof
Overview
S. pneumoniae is a leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide.
Due to the rise of antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria, treatment failure is becoming increasingly common. Alarmingly, one in ten deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance is caused by S. pneumoniae. New treatment options are urgently needed.
Our strategy is to leverage innate immune defences to combat S. pneumoniae infections. We have discovered that the bacteria are relatively resistant to killing by immune-derived oxidants. Therefore, targeting pneumococcal antioxidant systems would make the bacteria vulnerable to killing by immune system.
We have identified crucial antioxidant systems in S. pneumoniae that are promising targets for novel antimicrobial therapy.
In this project, the student will use an array of microbiological, biochemical and biophysical approaches to investigate strategies to cripple these antioxidant systems in S. pneumoniae including the following:
- Microbial growth curves to assess the sensitivity of S. pneumoniae mutants to relevant oxidants
- Enzyme activity assays to investigate the inhibitory capacity of compounds
- Protein purification using chromatography
- Protein characterisation using SDS/PAGE and mass spectrometry
- Differential scanning fluorimetry to study protein-inhibitor interactions
This project will provide insights into how to combat this deadly pathogen.
Preferred student expertise
Students with enthusiasm for biomedical research from various backgrounds, preferably microbiology, biochemistry or chemistry, will be considered.
This is one of a number of projects on offer for the next intake of BBiomedSc(Hons) at the University of Otago, Christchurch campus.
Contact
- Contact name
- Dr Nina Dickerhof
- nina.dickerhof@otago.ac.nz