Our Research

We are interested in the structure, function, and engineering of protein organelles, protein machines, and enzyme filaments. Our current focus lies on microbial protein organelles, compartments, and filaments involved in detoxification, nutrient utilization, and natural product biosynthesis, as well as on the discovery and characterization of novel enzyme machines and assemblies involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds.

Our interdisciplinary work utilizes techniques and approaches spanning the fields of biochemistry, structural biology (cryo-EM and x-ray crystallography), microbiology and synthetic biology. It is our mission to discover the molecular principles nature uses to build living systems and to harness these insights for creating innovations for human health and a more sustainable world.

Some of the questions we are currently pursuing are:

• What are the roles protein-based organelles play in microbial metabolism?

• How do protein organelles influence microbial virulence, host-microbe
interactions, and subsequently human health and disease?

• How can we engineer protein assemblies as functional nanomaterials,
drug delivery devices, enzyme nanoreactors, and research tools for cell and
structural biology?

• How can we discover novel antibiotics and enzymes with biomedically and
industrially relevant activities from microbial dark matter? Learn more