Erin E. Carlson

Chemical Biology: cell wall imaging, proteomics

Organic Chemistry: probe synthesis, natural products

Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry: mass spectrometry, separations

Nanoscience & Materials Chemistry

To meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and specter of a post-antibiotic era, we are pursuing the discovery of the master regulators of bacterial growth and communication and ultimately, the identification of new antibiotics through the application of diverse tools at the interface of chemistry and biology. We are currently pursuing four intersecting objectives:

1. developing and applying powerful strategies to explore and interpret the molecular language used by bacteria to respond to environmental cues using a combination of mass spectrometry, informatics and novel separation reagents; 
2. pursuing of the generation of chemical probes and inhibitors for the global profiling and inhibition of histidine kinases, a ubiquitous class of proteins essential for signal transduction in bacteria; and
3. deepening our understanding of the multi-protein systems that dictate bacterial growth and division, we are designing selective probes for imaging and proteomics with specific focus on the penicillin-binding proteins;
4. exploring molecular-level interactions between organisms and nanoparticles to guide the development of environmentally benign nanotechnology. 

Each of our research objectives is independently important for potential therapeutic development. However, it is our focus on the synergy between multiple areas that is the foundation for our unique ability to detect, interrupt and exploit the master regulators of bacterial behavior.