Bug-O-Lipids

Microbes have developed clever strategies to hijack their hosts to cause some of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases. Pathogens not only manipulate host immune defence for successful invasion and persistence, they realign their own metabolism and are able to utilize host lipids as carbon sources for survival. Even viruses, which are the simplest life forms, require lipids for their infective cycle and replication.

However, a huge research gap remains, starting from the most fundamental question of what are the lipids that are found in pathogens?

Using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, we will create a biochemical resource for microbial lipidomics with applications in basic research in lipid functions, as well as translational research in biomarker and target discoveries.