The focus of our study is to understand how these genes are regulated, their importance in pathogenesis and the identification of new compounds to specifically inhibit its activity and therefore inhibit specifically bacterial growth during the infection process.
When a bacteria invade a specific organism during infection need de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides for DNA replication and cell proliferation. The synthesis of the four deoxyribonucleotides is catalyzed by the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) via a radical-based mechanism. RNR has been extensively studied as an ideal target for inhibiting cell replication.
The laboratory is deeply involved in the use of nanoparticles (new drug delivery systems) to eradicate chronic bacterial infections (ex. cystic fibrosis, COPD, etc.).
In summary, we are working on new mechanisms to treat bacterial infections by the use of different nanotechnology applications and techniques to deliver and destroy bacterial infecting cells.