Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Environmental bacteria produce a vast array of natural compounds for defense, communication, and the acquisition of nutrients. Many of these compounds have antibiotic and anti-cancer properties, and some have formed the basis for the development of clinically used drugs. My laboratory studies natural products chemistry, and specializes in the detailed biological and chemical characterization of compounds derived from environmental microorganisms. Through a combination of high-content screening, ultra-high sensitivity analytical chemistry, and genomics and informatics, we are building a picture of the metabolic capacity of these environmental strains, and discovering new human health applications for many of these unique compounds.