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Maya Farha, Ph.D.

Maya Farha, Ph.D. 

Position: Research Associate

About: Maya completed her PhD in September 2014 in Biochemistry at McMaster University where she worked on using chemical-chemical combinations as tools of biology and as routes to drug discovery. She joined the Brown lab as a Research Associate shorty thereafter where she continues to explore strategies for novel antibacterial drug discovery.

 
 

Publications: 

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

Genetic and Chemical Screening Reveals Targets and Compounds to Potentiate Gram-Positive Antibiotics against Gram-Negative Bacteria

Authors: Klobucar K, Jardine E, Farha MA, MacKinnon MR, Fragis M, Nkonge B, Bhando T, Borrillo L, Tsai CN, Johnson JW, Coombes BK, Magolan J, Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2022 September 13; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00357

Preclinical Development of Pentamidine Analogs Identifies a Potent and Nontoxic Antibiotic Adjuvant

Authors: MacNair CR, Farha MA, Serrano-Wu MH, Lee KK, Hubbard B, Côté JP, Carfrae LA, Tu MM, Gaulin JL, Hunt DK, Hung DT, Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2022 March 23; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00482

Structural Insights into the Inhibition of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Synthase from Gram-Positive Bacteria

Authors: Workman SD, Day J, Farha MA, El Zahed SS, Bon C, Brown ED, Organ MG, Strynadka, NC.

Reference: J. Med. Chem. 2021 September 2; doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00941

A Staphylococcus aureus clpX Mutant Used as a Unique Screening Tool to Identify Cell Wall Synthesis Inhibitors that Reverse Beta-Lactam Resistance in MRSA

Authors: Bæk KT, Jensen C, Farha MA, Nielsen TK, Paknejadi E, Mebus VH, Vestergaard M, Brown ED, Frees D

Reference: Front. Mol. Biosci. 2021 June 4; doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.691569

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Systems-Level Chemical Biology to Accelerate Antibiotic Drug Discovery

Authors: Farha MA, French S, and Brown ED.

Reference: Acc. Chem. Res.. 2021 Mar 31; doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00011

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Physicochemical and Structural Parameters Contributing to the Antibacterial Activity and Efflux Susceptibility of Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Escherichia coli

Authors: El Zahed SS, French S, Farha MA, Kumar G, and Brown ED.

Reference: AAC. 2021 Jan 19; doi: 10.1128/AAC.01925-20.

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Overcoming Acquired and Native Macrolide Resistance with Bicarbonate

Authors: Farha MA, MacNair CR, Carfrae LA, El Zahed SS, Ellis MJ, Tran HKR, McArthur AG, Brown ED

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2020 Sept 08; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00340

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Uncovering the Hidden Antibiotic Potential of Cannabis

Authors: Farha MA*, El-Halfawy OM*, Gale RT, MacNair CR, Carfrae LA, Zhang X, Jentsch NG, Magolan J, Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2020 Feb 04; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00419

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Potentiation of Antibiotics against Gram-Negative Bacteria by Polymyxin B Analogue SPR741 from Unique Perturbation of the Outer Membrane

Authors: French S, Farha M, Ellis MJ, Sameer Z, Côté JP, Cotroneo N, Lister T, Rubio A, Brown ED.
Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2019 Sept 30th; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00159

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Drug repurposing for antimicrobial discovery.

Authors: Farha MA, Brown ED.
Reference: Nat. Microbiol. 2019 Mar 04; doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0357-1

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Bicarbonate alters bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics by targeting the proton motive force

Authors: Farha MA, French S, Stokes JM, Brown ED.
Reference: ACS Infect Dis. 2017 Dec 21;4(3):382-390. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00194.

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Pentamidine sensitizes Gram-negative pathogens to antibiotics and overcomes acquired colistin resistance

Authors: Stokes JM, MacNair CR, Ilyas B, French S, Côté JP, Bouwman C, Farha MA, Sieron AO, Whitfield C, Coombes BK, Brown, ED.
Reference: Nature Microbiology. 2017 Mar 06;2(5):17028. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.28

Potentiation of Aminoglycoside Activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Targeting the AmgRS Envelope Stress-Responsive Two-Component System.
Potentiation of Aminoglycoside Activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Targeting the AmgRS Envelope Stress-Responsive Two-Component System.

Authors: Poole K, Gilmour C, Farha MA, Mullen E, Lau CH, Brown ED.

Reference: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 May 23;60(6):3509-18. 
Strategies for target identification of antimicrobial natural products

Authors: Farha MA, Brown ED
Reference: Nat Prod Rep. 2016 May 4;33(5):668-80. doi: 10.1039/c5np00127g.

Unconventional screening approaches for antibiotic discovery.

Authors: Farha MA, Brown ED. 
Reference: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2015 Sep;1354:54-66. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12803. Epub 2015 Jun 22.

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Antagonism screen for inhibitors of bacterial cell wall biogenesis uncovers an inhibitor of undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase

Authors: Farha MA, Czarny TL, Myers CL, Worrall LJ, French S, Conrady DG, Wang Y, Oldfield E, Strynadka NC, Brown ED.
Reference: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Sep 1;112(35):11048-53. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1511751112. Epub 2015 Aug 17.

Designing analogs of ticlopidine, a wall teichoic acid inhibitor, to avoid formation of its oxidative metabolites.

Authors: Farha MA, Koteva K, Gale RT, Sewell EW, Wright GD, Brown ED.
Reference: Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2014 Feb 1;24(3):905-10. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.12.069. Epub 2013 Dec 23.

Collapsing the proton motive force to identify synergistic combinations against Staphylococcus aureus

Authors: Farha MA, Verschoor CP, Bowdish D, Brown ED.
Reference: Chem Biol. 2013 Sep 19;20(9):1168-78. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2013.07.006. Epub 2013 Aug 22.

Inhibition of WTA synthesis blocks the cooperative action of PBPs and sensitizes MRSA to β-lactams

Authors: Farha MA, Leung A, Sewell EW, D'Elia MA, Allison SE, Ejim L, Pereira PM, Pinho MG, Wright GD, Brown ED.
Reference: ACS Chem Biol. 2013 Jan 18;8(1):226-33. doi: 10.1021/cb300413m. Epub 2012 Oct 19.

Combinations of antibiotics and nonantibiotic drugs enhance antimicrobial efficacy

Authors: Ejim L, Farha MA, Falconer SB, Wildenhain J, Coombes BK, Tyers M, Brown ED, Wright GD.
Reference: Nat Chem Biol. 2011 Jun;7(6):348-50. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.559. Epub 2011 Apr 24.

Chemical probes of Escherichia coli uncovered through chemical-chemical interaction profiling with compounds of known biological activity

Authors: Farha MA, Brown ED.
Reference: Chem Biol. 2010 Aug 27;17(8):852-62. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2010.06.008.

Chemical genomic approaches to study model microbes

Authors: Barker CA, Farha MA, Brown ED.
Reference: Chem Biol. 2010 Jun 25;17(6):624-32. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2010.05.010. Review.

Shawn French, Ph.D.

 

Shawn French, Ph.D.

Shawn French, Ph.D.

Position: Research Associate

About: Shawn completed a Ph.D in Biophysics at the University of Guelph. He joined the Brown lab in January 2012, and since then has been a force in microscopy, computer vision, and bacterial gene expression. Lately he can be found pretending he knows things about AI and making pretty graphics. He prefers, however, to spend his free time cooking and reading books about warlocks.

 
 

Research Interests: 

My research revolves around finding new screening phenotypes, and exploring their potential in screening for new bioactive molecules. Further, I have been creating new platforms for novel chemical-genomics screening. In increasingly high throughput, we can now assess whole genome responses to stimuli such chemical or environmental pressures.

Publications:

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

Central metabolism is a key player in E. coli biofilm stimulation by sub-MIC antibiotics

Authors: Yaeger LN, French S, Brown ED, Côté JP, Burrows LL

Reference: bioRxiv 2022 September 15; doi: 10.1101/2022.09.14.507886

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Chemical Screen for Vancomycin Antagonism Uncovers Probes of the Gram-Negative Outer Membrane

Authors: Klobucar K, Côté JP, French S, Borrillo L, Guo ABY, Serrano-Wu MH, Lee KK, Hubbard B, Johnson JW, Gaulin JL, Magolan J, Hung DT, and Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Chem. Biol. 2021 May 11; doi: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00179

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Systems-Level Chemical Biology to Accelerate Antibiotic Drug Discovery

Authors: Farha MA, French S, and Brown ED.

Reference: Acc. Chem. Res.. 2021 Mar 31; doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00011

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Physicochemical and Structural Parameters Contributing to the Antibacterial Activity and Efflux Susceptibility of Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Escherichia coli

Authors: El Zahed SS, French S, Farha MA, Kumar G, and Brown ED.

Reference: AAC. 2021 Jan 19; doi: 10.1128/AAC.01925-20.

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Gene Dispensability in Escherichia coli Grown in Thirty Different Carbon Environments

Authors: Tong M, French S, El Zahed SS, Ong WK, Karp PD, Brown ED

Reference: mBio. 2020 Sept 29; doi: 10.1128/mBio.02259-20

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Genetic and Chemical Screening in Human Blood Serum Reveals Unique Antibacterial Targets and Compounds against Klebsiella pneumoniae

Authors: Weber BS, De Jong AM, Guo ABY, Dharavath S, French S, Fiebig-Comyn AA, Coombes BK, Magnolan J, Brown ED.

Reference: Cell Rep. 2020 July 21; doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107927

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Genetic and Chemical-Genetic Interactions Map Biogenesis and Permeability Determinants of the Outer Membrane of Escherichia coli

Authors: Klobucar K, French S, Côté JP, Howes JR, Brown ED

Reference: mBio. 2020 Mar 10; doi: 10.1128/mBio.00161-20

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A comprehensive guide to dynamic analysis of microbial gene expression using the 3D-printed PFIbox and a fluorescent reporter library

Authors: French S, Guo ABY, Brown ED.

Reference: Nat. Protoc. 2020 Jan 08; doi: 10.1038/s41596-019-0257-0

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Potentiation of Antibiotics against Gram-Negative Bacteria by Polymyxin B Analogue SPR741 from Unique Perturbation of the Outer Membrane

Authors: French S, Farha M, Ellis MJ, Sameer Z, Côté JP, Cotroneo N, Lister T, Rubio A, Brown ED.
Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2019 Sept 30th; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00159

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A macrophage-based screen identifies antibacterial compounds selective for intracellular Salmonella Typhimurium

Authors: Ellis MJ, Tsai CN, Johnson JW, French S, Elhenawy W, Porwollik S, Andrews-Polymenis H, McClelland M, Magolan J, Coombes BK and Brown ED. 
Reference: Nat. Commun. 2019 Jan 14; doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-08190-x

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Open-Source High-Throughput Phenomics of Bacterial Promoter-Reporter Strains

Authors: French S, Coutts BE, Brown ED.
Reference: Cell Syst. 2018. Aug 29; doi:10.1016/j.cels.2018.07.004

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Bicarbonate alters bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics by targeting the proton motive force

Authors: Farha MA, French S, Stokes JM, Brown ED.
Reference: ACS Infect Dis. 2017 Dec 21;4(3):382-390. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00194.

Exploiting the sensitivity of nutrient transporter deletion strains in discovery of natural product antimetabolites

Authors: Gehrke SS, Kumar G, Yokubynas NA, Côté JP, Wang W, French S, MacNair CR, Wright GD,
Reference: ACS Infect Dis. 2017 Oct 25;3(12):955-965. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00149.

Chemical genomics reveals mechanistic hypotheses for uncharacterized bioactive molecules in bacteria

Authors: French S, Ellis MJ, Coutts BE, Brown ED.
Reference: Curr Opin Microbiol. 2017 Sept 26;39:42-47. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.09.005

Bacteria Getting into Shape: Genetic Determinants of E. coli Morphology

Authors: French S, Côté JP, Stokes JM, Truant R, Brown ED.
Reference: mBio. 2017 Mar 7;8(2):e01977-16. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01977-16

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Pentamidine sensitizes Gram-negative pathogens to antibiotics and overcomes acquired colistin resistance

Authors: Stokes JM, MacNair CR, Ilyas B, French S, Côté JP, Bouwman C, Farha MA, Sieron AO, Whitfield C, Coombes BK, Brown, ED.
Reference: Nature Microbiology. 2017 Mar 06;2(5):17028. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.28

A cell-based approach to characterize antimicrobial compounds through kinetic dose response

Authors: MacNair CR, Stokes JM, French S, Myers CL, Iyer KR, Brown ED.
Reference: Bioorg Med Chem. 2016 Dec 15;24(24):6315-6319. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2016.09.053.

Identification of Two Phosphate Starvation-induced Wall Teichoic Acid Hydrolases Provides First Insights into the Degradative Pathway of a Key Bacterial Cell Wall Component.

Authors: Myers CL, Li FK, Koo BM, El-Halfawy OM, French S, Gross CA, Strynadka NC, Brown ED.
Reference: J Biol Chem. 2016 Dec 9;291(50):26066-26082.
The Genome-Wide Interaction Network of Nutrient Stress Genes in Escherichia coli

Authors: Côté JP, French S, Gehrke SS, MacNair CR, Mangat CS, Bharat A, Brown ED.
Reference: MBio. 2016 Nov 22;7(6). pii: e01714-16. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01714-16.
Structural and Kinetic Characterization of Diazabicyclooctanes as Dual Inhibitors of Both Serine-β-Lactamases and Penicillin-Binding Proteins

Authors:  King AM, King DT, French S, Brouillette E, Asli A, Alexander JA, Vuckovic M, Maiti SN, Parr TR Jr, Brown ED, Malouin F, Strynadka NC, Wright GD.

Reference: ACS Chem Biol. 2016 Apr 15;11(4):864-8. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00944. Epub 2016 Jan 14.

Assembly and clustering of natural antibiotics guides target identification.
Assembly and clustering of natural antibiotics guides target identification.

Authors:  Johnston CW, Skinnider MA, Dejong CA, Rees PN, Chen GM, Walker CG, French S, Brown ED, Bérdy J, Liu DY, Magarvey NA.

Reference: Nat Chem Biol. 2016 Apr;12(4):233-9. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.2018. Epub 2016 Feb 1.

A robust platform for chemical genomics in bacterial systems
A robust platform for chemical genomics in bacterial systems

Authors: French S, Mangat C, Bharat A, Côté JP, Mori H, Brown ED.
Reference: Mol Biol Cell. 2016 Mar 15;27(6):1015-25. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E15-08-0573. Epub 2016 Jan 20.

Cold Stress Makes Escherichia coli Susceptible to Glycopeptide Antibiotics by Altering Outer Membrane Integrity.
Cold Stress Makes Escherichia coli Susceptible to Glycopeptide Antibiotics by Altering Outer Membrane Integrity.

Authors: Stokes JM, French S, Ovchinnikova OG, Bouwman C, Whitfield C, Brown ED.

Reference: Cell Chem Biol. 2016 Feb 18;23(2):267-77

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Antagonism screen for inhibitors of bacterial cell wall biogenesis uncovers an inhibitor of undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase

Authors: Farha MA, Czarny TL, Myers CL, Worrall LJ, French S, Conrady DG, Wang Y, Oldfield E, Strynadka NC, Brown ED.
Reference: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Sep 1;112(35):11048-53. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1511751112. Epub 2015 Aug 17.

Discovery of novel cell wall-active compounds using PywaC, a sensitive reporter of cell wall stress, in the model gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Authors: Czarny TL, Perri AL, French S, Brown ED
Reference: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2014 Jun;58(6):3261-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02352-14

Alexander Luettringhaus, M.Sc.

Alexander Luettringhaus, M.Sc.

Position: Research Engineer

About:  Alex comes to us from Germany, where he did his undergraduate and M.Sc. work in Bioinformatics at the Free University of Berlin. His M.Sc thesis in the Kainmueller Lab implemented computer vision to segment nuclei in C. elegans. After gaining some industry experience as a machine learning engineer, he has returned from the dark side to join the Brown lab. In his spare time, Alex enjoys listening to K-pop, and has even entered several lip-syncing competitions in professional venues.  He is founding member of the Brown lab’s introspective drum circle, which is slowly gaining popularity within the department.

 
 

Adele Girgis-Gabardo, B.Sc.

Adele Girgis-Gabardo, B.Sc.

Position: Laboratory Technician

About:  Adele did her undergraduate training at the University of Delaware, before coming to McMaster. Coming to us from the Hassell lab, Adele is the Brown lab resident mammalian cell whisperer. She brings with her decades of experience working with tissue culture, blood work, and molecular techniques. In her spare time she enjoys chicken fingers, and chicken finger-related activities. One day Adele hopes to visit Latvia, to cosplay as a bard in Riga's medieval old town.

Michael Ranieri, M.Sc.

Michael Ranieri, M.Sc.

Position: Laboratory Technician

About:  Michael received his M.Sc. in Biochemistry from McMaster University in 2018, where he studied Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and how this bacteria forms biofilm in response to sub-MIC antibiotics. He has worked in the cannabis industry as a Research Scientist, where he helped with product and process development, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry as a microbiologist. His main research interests include natural product and drug discovery, and his work in the Brown lab involves working with fungi to produce and isolate novel natural products. When not in the lab, Michael enjoys cooking, brewing, running, music, and enjoying the outdoors.

Research Interests: Natural products, drug discovery, microbial genetics, fungal microbiology

Brent Weber, Ph.D.

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Brent Weber, Ph.D. 

Position: Post Doctoral Fellow

About: Brent obtained his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta in 2016 where he investigated bacterial secretion systems. Brent joined the Brown Lab as a post-doctoral fellow in November 2016, and is currently investigating new ways to treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. He was awarded a Michael G. DeGroote Fellowship and a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship. Outside of the lab, Brent enjoys playing soccer and hockey. 

 

 
 

Publications:

Featured
Polynuclear ruthenium complexes are effective antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Authors: Weber BS, Carfrae LA, Woods JJ, Klobucar K, Bigham NP., MacNair CR, Raivio TL, Wilson JJ, Brown ED.

Reference: bioRxiv 2022 August 14; doi: 10.1101/2022.08.11.503708

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Genetic and Chemical Screening in Human Blood Serum Reveals Unique Antibacterial Targets and Compounds against Klebsiella pneumoniae

Authors: Weber BS, De Jong AM, Guo ABY, Dharavath S, French S, Fiebig-Comyn AA, Coombes BK, Magnolan J, Brown ED.

Reference: Cell Rep. 2020 July 21; doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107927

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Mimicking the human environment in mice reveals that inhibiting biotin biosynthesis is effective against antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Authors: Carfrae LA, MacNair CR, Brown CM, Tsai CN, Weber BS, Zlitni S, Rao VN, Chun J, Junop MS, Coombes BK, Brown ED.

Reference: Nat. Microbiol. 2019 Oct 28; doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0595-2

Olesia North, Ph.D.

Olesia North, Ph.D.

Position: Post Doctoral Fellow

About: Ukrainian made, Canadian trained. Olesia obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto where she studied the determinants of phage specificity and the mechanism of phage tail fibre assembly. Ever since the beginning of her PhD she has been infected with phage enthusiasm, which has multiplied, exploded and is infecting everyone around her. Now with the help of the Brown lab (which is slowly getting infected with phage enthusiasm) she plans on expanding our knowledge of phage/bacteria interactions, or just learning something useful along the way. When not spreading phage passion, she enjoys a million things (hiking, painting, knitting, sewing, attempting to beat her husband at basketball, and trying new things even though she may be terrified by them). One day she will learn to play flag football.

 
 
Featured
Phage-antibiotic combinations: a promising approach to constrain resistance evolution in bacteria

Authors: North OI and Brown ED

Reference: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2020 Nov 11; doi: 10.1111/nyas.14533

Timsy Bhando, Ph.D.

Timsy Bhando, Ph.D.

Position: Post Doctoral Fellow

About: Timsy received her PhD in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, India where she worked on discovering novel small molecules against Gram-negative bacteria and understanding their mechanisms of action. Timsy is deeply passionate about natural products and the concept of using food as medicine. At the Brown lab, Timsy is advancing her interest in natural products research and is working on isolating fungal metabolites and exploring their therapeutic potential. She was awarded the Michael G. DeGroote Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Medicinal Cannabis Research (MGD CMCR) and the CIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship. In her free time, Timsy has a deep appreciation for food and the joy that it brings to those around. She enjoys trying new cuisines when dining out with friends and finds great delight in cooking traditional Indian dishes for them. She also loves to explore and connect with nature, whether it's through hiking, or simply taking a walk in the park.

 
 

Publications:

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

Genetic and Chemical Screening Reveals Targets and Compounds to Potentiate Gram-Positive Antibiotics against Gram-Negative Bacteria

Authors: Klobucar K, Jardine E, Farha MA, MacKinnon MR, Fragis M, Nkonge B, Bhando T, Borrillo L, Tsai CN, Johnson JW, Coombes BK, Magolan J, Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2022 September 13; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00357

Antibacterial Activity of Metergoline Analogues: Revisiting the Ergot Alkaloid Scaffold for Antibiotic Discovery

Authors: Johnson JW, Ellis MJ, Piquette ZA, MacNair C, Carfrae L, Bhando T, Ritchie NE, Saliba P, Brown ED, Magolan J.

Reference: ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2022 January 21; doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00648

Julia Deisinger, Ph.D.

Julia Deisinger, Ph.D.

Position: Post Doctoral Fellow

About: Julia hails from across the pond in Germany, and obtained her M.Sc. and Ph.D. training at the University of Bonn. Her graduate work characterized and coordinated cell wall and capsule biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus, while also elucidating MOAs of novel natural product antibiotics. For her postdoc in the Brown lab she ventured into new territories: she is currently investigating the therapeutic potential of fungal natural products using high-content microscopy with human cells, and she has jumped in at the deep end of data science, using advanced image analysis and computational techniques (including machine learning and deep learning) to further her research. When not hunched in front of a microscope in the lab, Julia can be found collecting various gnomes and trolls, adding to her "Wertvolle Sammlung". Julia's collection was voted "most enthusiastic" in the 2022 Hamilton Troll Collector's Show which had more than 6 people in attendance. When not hunting for collectables, Julia can be found riding her bike, listening to vinyls, preferably post-doom metal, and cooking up a storm.

 
 

Publications:

Featured
Dual targeting of the class V lanthipeptide antibiotic cacaoidin

Authors: Deisinger JP, Arts M, Kotsogianni I, …, Schneider T

Reference: iScience. 2023 April 21; doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106394

Host Defense Peptides: Dual Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Action

Authors: Drayton M, Deisinger JP, Ludwig KC, Raheem N, Müller A, Schneider T, Straus SK

Reference: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021 October 16; doi: 10.3390/ijms222011172

Cacaoidin, First Member of the New Lanthidin RiPP Family

Authors: Ortiz‐López FJ, Carretero‐Molina D, ..., Deisinger JP, Schneider T, Genilloud, O

Reference: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2020 May 14; doi: 10.1002/anie.202005187

ATP-Dependent Persister Formation in Escherichia coli

Authors: Shan Y, Brown Gandt A, Rowe SE, Deisinger JP, Conlon BP, Lewis K

Reference: MBio. 2017 February 7; doi: 10.1128/mBio.02267-16

Coordination of capsule assembly and cell wall biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus

Authors: Rausch M, Deisinger JP, …, Schneider T

Reference: Nature Communications. 2019 March 29; doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09356-x

Kenneth Rachwalski, B.H.Sc.

Kenneth Rachwalski

Kenneth Rachwalski

Position: Ph.D. Candidate

About: My research delves into the complexities of genetic interactions in bacteria, but when I'm not in the lab, I delight in the art of cooking, dining, and sports. With a love for adventure and a thirst for knowledge, I hope to one day explore the awe-inspiring mountains of Peru and bring new insights back to my work. My passion lies at the intersection of science, innovation, and real-world impact, and I am always striving to make a difference while seeking new opportunities for growth and discovery.

 
 

Publications:

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

An Omniphobic Spray Coating Created from Hierarchical Structures Prevents the Contamination of High-Touch Surfaces with Pathogens

Authors: Abu Jarad N, Rachwalski K, Bayat F, Khan S, Shakeri A, MacLachlan R, Villegas M, Brown ED, Soleymani L, Didar TF

Reference: Small 2023 January 1; doi: 10.1002/smll.202205761

Synthetic Genetic Interactions Reveal a Dense and Cryptic Regulatory Network of Small Noncoding RNAs in Escherichia coli

Authors: Rachwalski K, Ellis MJ, Tong M, Brown ED.

Reference: MBio 2022 August 3; doi: 10.1128/mbio.01225-22

Transparent and Highly Flexible Hierarchically Structured Polydimethylsiloxane Surfaces Suppress Bacterial Attachment and Thrombosis Under Static and Dynamic Conditions

Authors: Khan S, Abu Jarad N, Ladouceur L, Rachwalski K, Bot V, Shakeri A, Maclachlan R, Sakib S, Weitz JI, Brown ED, Soleymani L, Didar TF.

Reference: Small 2022 February 28; doi: 10.1002/smll.202108112

Flexible Hierarchical Wraps Repel Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative and Positive Bacteria

Authors: Imani SM, Maclachlan R, Rachwalski K, Chan Y, Lee L, McInnes M, Grandfield K, Brown ED, Didar TF, Soleymani L

Reference: ACS Nano. 2019 December 13; doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06287

Rodion Gordzevich, B.Sc.

Rodion Gordzevich, B.Sc.

Position: Ph.D. Candidate

About: Rodion completed his Hon B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Trent University. He joined the Brown lab in 2019 and is currently part of the nutrient stress group. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing video games, hiking, and reading Sci-Fi books.

Research Interests: Rodion is interested in exploring the mechanisms of action of antibiotics in bacteria under nutrient-limited conditions.

Publications:

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

Megan Tu, B.H.Sc.

Megan Tu, B.h.Sc.

Position: Ph.D. Candidate

About: Megan completed her B.H.Sc in the Integrated Science program at McMaster University. She joined the Brown lab in 2020 and is currently completing her PhD. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, drawing and playing board games.

Research Interests: Megan’s research interest lies in understanding how bacterial metabolism changes with the development of antibiotic resistance. 

Publications:

Featured
CARD 2023: expanded curation, support for machine learning, and resistome prediction at the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database

Authors: Alcock BP, Huynh W … Bhando B, Carfrae LA, Farha MA, French S, Gordzevich R, Rachwalski K, Tu MM … Brown ED … McArthur AG.

Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 January 6; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac920

Preclinical Development of Pentamidine Analogs Identifies a Potent and Nontoxic Antibiotic Adjuvant

Authors: MacNair CR, Farha MA, Serrano-Wu MH, Lee KK, Hubbard B, Côté JP, Carfrae LA, Tu MM, Gaulin JL, Hunt DK, Hung DT, Brown ED.

Reference: ACS Infect. Dis. 2022 March 23; doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00482

Telmah Lluka, B.Sc.

Telmah Lluka, B.Sc.

Position: M.Sc. Candidate

About: Telmah earned her B.Sc. in Medical and Biological Physics at McMaster University. Outside of the lab, you can find her bicycling around Hamilton or painting in her room. Let her know if you have any old, funky magazines you don’t want, as she has amassed quite a collection and is always looking for new additions!

Research Interests: Telmah has a soft spot for all things membrane-related; targeting of the Gram-negative outer membrane is of particular interest. However, she is eager to learn about every facet of antibacterial research.

Firas Werah

Firas Werah

Position: Research student

About: Firas is in his 3rd year of Honours Biochemistry (B.H.Sc.), and he joined the lab as part of a third-year project course. Among his hobbies are playing video games, playing football and travelling.

Research Interests: Understanding the mechanism of action of novel antibiotics and the effect of antibiotics on highly susceptible resistant bacteria.