Antibiotics, synthetic biology, evolutionary biology, actinomycetes, microbiology

The emergence of drug resistant microorganisms has recently highlighted the need for novel antimicrobial drugs and for novel approaches to aid their discovery. One approach to this problem is rational manipulation of known antibiotic biosynthetic clusters using synthetic biology, resulting in increased efficacy and spectrum of drugs. Creating novel antibiotics through rational design of a biological system using principles normally associated with engineering is an exciting prospect afforded to us through recent advances in molecular biology.

Streptomyces and Micromonospora are prolific producers of antibiotics, with many currently being used as therapeutic agents however some molecules have restricted use because of their toxicity. The ability to manipulate the biosynthetic pathways of these molecules using molecular genetics offers the potential to reduce the toxic effects and generate drugs with increased potency, lowered toxicity and greater utility in the clinic.

This project will aim to generate novel antibiotics through synthetic biology.

genetics, molecular biology, genomics, biochemistry

Hiltner, J. K., Hunter, I. S., & Hoskisson, P. A. (2015). Tailoring Specialized Metabolite Production in Streptomyces. Adv. Appl. Microbiology.  91, 237-255.