Project: Defining the virulence mechanisms of antibiotic resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
McDevitt group
Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest priority bacterial pathogens for development of new therapeutic solutions. This is due to the lack of a vaccine against K. pneumoniae and the high-level resistance of the pathogen to current antibiotics and in-development novel antibiotics. Critical to the development of alternative treatment strategies is understanding how it mediates disease in humans. However, despite the importance of K. pneumoniae, there remains many gaps in our knowledge regarding its fundamental biology and virulence mechanisms. This project will focus on characterising newly discovered pathways that enable this pathogen to overcome the innate immune response of the host using a combination of genomic, molecular microbiological, and biochemical techniques. By understanding these pathways, it will be possible to develop new therapeutic strategies that target these host evasion mechanisms.
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McDevitt group
3 vacancies
The McDevitt group studies bacterial pathogens, how they cause disease in the host, and develops novel therapeutics. In our group, we use state-of-the-art techniques that include genomics, molecular microbiology (e.g. making mutants, infection models, etc.), transcriptomics, biochemistry (e.g. recombinant proteins), and mass spectrometry. Our projects also involve working with immunologists, biophysicists, and structural biologists to access technologies and techniques that complement our work. We also work with biotech and industry partners to translate our research findings.
McDevitt group Current Projects
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Breaking bacterial antibiotic resistance using ionobiotics
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Defining the virulence mechanisms of antibiotic resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Developing a novel therapeutic approach to treat Streptococcus pneumoniae infections
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
Research degrees at the Doherty Institute are administered by the University of Melbourne.