Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant concern in the battle against bacterial disease. Our understanding of resistance gene occurrence and spread as contributing to AMR is significant. Much less is understood about the occurrence of persisters: a transient state where a subpopulation of a pathogen survives in the presence of antibiotics, which also may faciliate evolution towards genetically stable AMR strains. In this project it is this critical, early step that will be examined. You will be addressing whether a persister state is induced in by specific, type V secretion mediated, inter-strain/species competitive mechanism, also known as contact-dependent inhibition. This is based on our findings on the effects of different toxins delivered by this system at single celll level and in populations (DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.074) . You will evaluate whether specific mechanisms that mediate pathogen survival in the host cell, elicit cross protection to antibiotics. The project will focus on Gram negative pathogens, mainly on Escherichia coli pathovars, as important contributors to human disease. This project builds upon publications by the supervisors, and will generate new insight into the survival strategies of bacterial pathogens. The successful applicant will have knowledge of and interest in molecular biology, bacterial physiology and genetics, basic bioinformatics, and state of the art imaging approaches.
The York Biomedical Research Institute at the University of York is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills.
Entry Requirements:
Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply. The interdisciplinary nature of this programme means that we welcome applications from students with backgrounds in any biological, chemical, and/or physical science, or students with mathematical backgrounds who are interested in using their skills in addressing biological questions.
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