Among the major problems faced in medicine, resistance to antibiotics is regarded as a singular challenge. The primary focus of our laboratory is to understand the genetic and amino acid sequence determinants of the enzymes that inactivate ß-lactams, the ß-lactamases. Our current work is directed at solving three main problems:
how ß-lactamase inhibitors inactivate -lactamases;
how ß-lactamases hydrolyze advanced generation cephalosporins; and
how mutations impact upon ß-lactamase expression. We are also interested in how penicillin interacts with penicillin resistant PBPs and the molecular epidemiology of extended spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs).
Lab Members: Andrea M. Hujer, Christopher R. Bethel
