My specialist interest is in the area of bacterial pathogenesis, with a
focus on investigating the structure-function relationships in proteins
involved in bacterial infections. Since forming
my group in 2012 I have led my team in the study of bacterial virulence factors
(adhesins, toxins, virulence regulators) using structural biology,
biochemistry and molecular biology approaches. These proteins are novel
antibacterial drug targets and in this context we are using small molecule and
antibody approaches to develop inhibitors, which could represent new classes of
antimicrobial agents. Our research output and achievements have been reflected
by our success in publishing our work in leading international journals
including Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Antioxidants
and Redox Signalling, Journal of
Biological Chemistry, Angewandte
Chemie International, and
obtaining external research funding including an ARC Future Fellowship, an ARC
Discovery and an NHMRC project grants.