Bacteria rapidly evolve to develop resistance to antibiotics, presenting a growing and very dangerous problem. Without improved management strategies and the development of alternatives to antibiotics, bacterial diseases could once again be untreatable and many standard treatments, including surgical operations, could become unusable. To boost the search for new treatment options, in a collaborative project Dr. Birol’s group is focusing on short proteins called antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are produced naturally by various animal and plant species. These host defense proteins can protect against infection or reduce the harm caused by an existing infection.
Antimicrobial peptide discovery
Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre respectfully acknowledges that we operate on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) nations who have cared and nurtured this land for all time. We give thanks, as uninvited guests, to be able to live and work on these lands.
