Description
The gastric carcinogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori has a unique ability to withstand high acidity of the stomach by buffering its periplasm at pH 6, through the action of urease and carbonic anhydrase (CA). In this project, we shall evaluate the potential of H. pylori CA as a novel target for treatment against H. pylori. We have determined the first crystal structure of this enzyme in complex with inhibitors that have been used clinically for a different purpose, i.e. as antiglaucoma or antiulcer drugs. The project will include analysis of structure-activity relationships, isolation of mutants with spontaneous resistance and genomic investigation of the resistance mechanisms. Applications are welcome from students with a strong interest in the biology of H. pylori, protein biochemistry or structural biology/crystallography.
Essential criteria:
Minimum entry requirements can be found here: https://www.monash.edu/admissions/entry-requirements/minimum
Keywords
crystallography, structural biology, Helicobacter pylori, cancer, virulence, antibiotic resistance, biophysics, enzymology, department of microbiology
School
Biomedicine Discovery Institute (School of Biomedical Sciences) » Microbiology
Available options
PhD/Doctorate
Honours
Time commitment
Full-time
Top-up scholarship funding available
No
Physical location
Clayton Campus