POLIKANOV LAB 

The research in the Polikanov Lab is focused on elucidating the structure and functions of the ribosome, understanding the basic principles of protein synthesis in bacteria, the modes of action of ribosome-targeting antibiotics, and mechanisms of drug resistance at a structural level. 

Our laboratory uses a combination of cutting-edge X-ray crystallography and cryogenic-electron microscopy techniques to determine atomic-resolution structures of the bacterial ribosome in functional complexes with various translation factors and ribosome-targeting antibiotics as well as biochemical and microbiological methods to functionally characterize these complexes. Our studies provide the structural basis for the understanding of how different elements of the ribosome function together at the molecular level.