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WALS: NIH Director's Lecture- Mechanisms of Phage Derived Protein Antibiotic

Air date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 2:00:00 PM
Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local
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Description: Professor Bil Clemons received his PhD from the University of Utah working under Prof. Venki Ramakrishnan. During this time he spent two years as a visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. The most notable achievement during his graduate work was that he was part of the team that solved the first atomic resolution structure of a small ribosomal subunit. This work led to a fundamental understanding of the translation of the genetic code and provided molecular details of the mechanism of a number of antibiotics. LECTURE SUMMARY: As antimicrobial resistance continues to expand, new ideas are required to address the growing threat. Phages, viruses of bacteria, offer many lessons that can be leveraged as opportunities to combat bacteria. In this lecture, Prof. Clemons will describe how some phages have developed simple, protein-based mechanisms for breaking through the bacterial cell wall and killing their host. These protein antibiotics can work independent of the phage, yet for years their mechanisms have remained mysterious. The mechanisms for several of these will be revealed. From these discoveries, new biological insight and paths towards potential therapeutics will be shared.


For more information go to https://oir.nih.gov/wals/current-lecture-season
Author: William M. (Bil) Clemons, Jr. Ph.D.
Runtime: 1 hour