ANT · Mining for new antimicrobials in ant associated actinomycetes

The proposed research is multidisciplinary and involves using state-of-the-art technologies (combined genomic and metabolomic approaches) to discover new antifungal compounds from an untapped environmental niche that the groups of Goss and Hutchings are currently mining. Novel methodologies developed by Dr Gao within Professor Lixin Zhang’s group will be utilized to rapidly mine the ant associated microbes for novel bioactive natural products and to engineer enhanced levels of antibiotic and antifungal production. Synergic interactions of the antibiotics will be explored using high through put assays developed by Dr Gao and Professor Zhang