The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

EDUCATION

Research Projects

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.

Contact project supervisor for further
information and application enquiries

Project Supervisor

Professor Christopher McDevitt

Project Co-supervisor

Dr Aimee Tan

Project availability
PhD/MPhil
Master of Biomedical Science
Honours

McDevitt group

christopher.mcdevitt@unimelb.edu.au

3 vacancies

Themes
Antimicrobial Resistance
Bacterial and Parasitic Infections
Cross Cutting Disciplines
Discovery Research

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