Coralie Fumeaux Lab

Study of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria and the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance

The increasingly frequent emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria is threatening agriculture, public and animal health. There is therefore an urgent need to discover new targets for the development of antimicrobial molecules. 

Many antibiotics target the formation of peptidoglycan (bacterial wall), which surrounds and gives rigidity and shape to cells. Inhibiting the synthesis of this wall halts the growth and division of bacteria, causing them to die. Unfortunately, we know very little about the molecular mechanisms and regulatory processes involved in the assembly and modification of this wall. In order to understand in more detail how peptidoglycan is remodelled during the cell cycle, the laboratory is combining genetic and biochemical approaches, with the hope of identifying potential new targets for the design or screening of new antibacterials.

The team is focusing its research on three species of Gram-negative bacilli: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and Vibrio cholerae. Two of these species are on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) list of critical pathogens for which the development of new antibiotics is necessary.

Funding: These projects are funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Prima grant), the Pierre Mercier Foundation, the Swiss Life Jubiläumsstiftung and the Swiss Society for Cystic fibrosis (CFCH).