Our lab utilizes comparative functional genomics to quantify distributions of antibiotic-resistance genes in microbial pathogens. Gene distribution patterns illustrate how pathogenic adaptations move through bacterial populations. This information is being integrated into algorithms used to simulate patterns of gene distribution among and between populations.

Relevance

Successful efforts to meet the challenge of antibiotic resistance can be bolstered by understanding strategies that microbes are using to acquire resistance. Genomic analysis is informing the search for novel molecular targets that could provide a means toward new antimicrobial therapy.