Rebecca Strachan

Rebecca is a first-year PhD student in the Wilkinson lab.

Her research is focused on targeting bacterial virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative ESKAPE pathogen affecting immunocompromised individuals, most commonly those suffering from cystic fibrosis. Targeting virulence factors offers a promising alternative to antibiotics by disarming pathogens so the immune system can clear infections. This approach reduces evolutionary pressures for resistance to arise, addressing the growing crisis of multi-drug antibiotic resistance.

Previous work in the Wilkinson lab identified three Macrophage Infectivity Potentiators (Mips) that were shown to be required for the full virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Rebecca’s work aims to uncover how these proteins contribute to virulence using a range of molecular biology, biochemical and biophysical techniques.