Special Seminar: Chemical Biology of Microbial Glycans

14/02/2019 - 13:00 - 12:00Add To Calendar 2019-02-14 12:00:00 2019-02-14 13:00:00 Special Seminar: Chemical Biology of Microbial Glycans S P E C I A L    S E M I N A R Thursday 14/2/19, 12:00 Building 211, seminar room 112   SPEAKER: Prof. Laura Kiessling  Department of Chemistry Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)   TOPIC: Chemical Biology of Microbial Glycans   Pathogenic bacteria cause devastating human diseases. The increased dissemination of infectious diseases and the rise of antibiotic resistance are spurring efforts to understand how bacteria build and maintain their protective cell envelope. Our research focuses on mycobacteria. Their cell envelope is composed of "exotic" carbohydrates. This feature is emblematic of how different bacterial species combine distinct carbohydrate building blocks to assemble a cell envelope barrier that is durable, largely impermeable, and dynamic. The saccharide building blocks used by bacteria are often orthogonal to those used in humans. We are taking advantage of these differences to generate inhibitors of cell envelope construction as antibiotics. We also are synthesizing new probes that can serve as new diagnostics and anti-infective agents. To this end, we have used chemical synthesis to fluorogenic probes that co-opt the biosynthetic machinery and can be used to detect mycobacteria and image cell division in real time. Abstract Department of Chemistry chemistry.office@biu.ac.il Asia/Jerusalem public

S P E C I A L    S E M I N A R

Thursday 14/2/19, 12:00

Building 211, seminar room 112

 

SPEAKER:

Prof. Laura Kiessling

 Department of Chemistry

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

 

TOPIC:

Chemical Biology of Microbial Glycans

 

Pathogenic bacteria cause devastating human diseases. The increased dissemination of infectious diseases and the rise of antibiotic resistance are spurring efforts to understand how bacteria build and maintain their protective cell envelope. Our research focuses on mycobacteria. Their cell envelope is composed of "exotic" carbohydrates. This feature is emblematic of how different bacterial species combine distinct carbohydrate building blocks to assemble a cell envelope barrier that is durable, largely impermeable, and dynamic. The saccharide building blocks used by bacteria are often orthogonal to those used in humans. We are taking advantage of these differences to generate inhibitors of cell envelope construction as antibiotics. We also are synthesizing new probes that can serve as new diagnostics and anti-infective agents. To this end, we have used chemical synthesis to fluorogenic probes that co-opt the biosynthetic machinery and can be used to detect mycobacteria and image cell division in real time.

Abstract

תאריך עדכון אחרון : 11/02/2019