As bacteria grow and replicate, random changes called mutations occur in genetic code leading to variations in the traits of different strains of bacteria. Bacteria with traits that protect against antimicrobials like antibiotic medicines are called resistant bacteria.
Researchers at the University of Oxford are studying the genetic basis of resistance and developing bacterial genome databases to understand resistance evolution and spread.
Current projects
Computational microbiology
The group use molecular dynamics and other computational methods to predict the movements of proteins, lipids, sugars and other macromolecules. Our simulations complement, augment and help interpret experimental data. The information gained helps to better understand the fundamental biochemistry of bacterial cell envelopes and has the potential to inform the future development of novel antibiotics.
Digital microbiology and evolution
Researchers are developing bacterial genome databases, new bioinformatics approaches and performing large-scale analyses to understand resistance evolution and spread.
Engineered biotechnology
The group's interdisciplinary work spans synthetic biology, robotics, mathematics, and machine learning. Researchers apply these technologies to problems in fundamental biotechnology, as well as application fields including AMR, biomedicine, and sustainability.
Evolutionary processes driving antibiotic resistance
Research is focused on understanding the fundamental evolutionary processes that drive the spread and maintenance of resistance, primarily using controlled in vitro experimental evolution in the opportunistic pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Global Health Research Unit
The Global Health Research Unit on Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance targets the most relevant pathogen-antibiotic combinations by analysing pathogen sequence data, basic anonymised patient information, and information about how samples were collected.
Human specific bacterial pathogens
Research seeks to understand how human-specific pathogens adapt to microenvironments in the host during infection by studying their ability to colonise specific niches in the body, and evade elimination by the immune system.
Mechanisms and prevention of antibiotic resistance and tolerance
The team study how bacteria respond to antibiotics from multiple perspectives; ranging from molecular biology to infection epidemiology. Their goal is to develop better ways to treat infections and new strategies to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Molecular biophysics and structural biology
The group conduct research on membrane proteins, with a particular emphasis on exploring the multi-protein complexes that facilitate the transport of lipids and proteins across the double envelope membranes found in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria.
Molecular mechanisms of bacterial membrane biogenesis
Research in the Isom group aims to understand how Gram-negative bacteria build their outer membranes and protect themselves against antibiotics.
Molecular mucosal immunology
Research aims to understand the interactions between microbes and the host at mucosal surfaces. The team are interested in applying this knowledge to prevent and treat diseases.
Pathogen genomics
Research in the Wilson group centres on the development and application of tools for microbial genomics, in particular population genetics, to understanding human pathogens.
Pneumococcal diseases
The group sequence the genomes of large collections of bacterial isolates to extract the genetic information relevant to research on Streptococcus pneumoniae (the ‘pneumococcus’), a bacterium that is a major cause of diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis worldwide.
Population biology and evolution of bacterial pathogens
Using a Population Genomics approach, the group combine data on genome sequence diversity with a variety of types of phenotypic information assembled from large representative bacterial isolate collections.
REHAB study
The environmental REsistome: confluence of Human and Animal Biota in antibiotic resistance spread (REHAB) aims to look in detail on a genetic level at bacteria in farm animals, human/animal sewage, sewage treatment works and rivers, to work out the complex network of transmission of important antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes.
Understanding microbial communities
The lab use ecology and evolution to understand microbial communities, including the human microbiome.