Bryony Cotterell

Bacterial Cell Wall Mapping at the Nanoscale

Bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan is essential for viability and its biosynthesis is the target for important antibiotics such as penicillin. The application of novel methods in super resolution microscopy is beginning to reveal the complex architecture of this important polymer. The project will develop novel chemical probes, coupled with state of the art microscopy analysis to map the nanoscale architecture and dynamics of peptidoglycan during growth and the action of antibiotics.