My
name is Claire Johnson, and I am a rising senior at George Mason. I am majoring in chemistry with a
concentration in biochemistry and minors in both biology and
bioinformatics. I have been working with
Dr. Robin Couch in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since the fall
of my junior year.
My
project is focusing on the development of novel antibiotics, which is essential
due to easily engineered and natural evolution of antibiotic resistance. Naturally evolving antibiotic resistance
poses a huge world health issue as “super bugs” become more common. Engineered resistance is concerning as these
strains of bacteria could be used by terrorist groups for biological warfare.
The
model organisms that the Couch lab utilizes are Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Plasmodium falciparum. Y.
pestis and F. tularensis are both
biothreat agents classified by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID) as Category A priority pathogens. This means that they “pose the highest risk
to national security and public health” because they are extremely contagious
and have high mortality rates. M. tuberculosis and P. falciparum are causative
agents of tuberculosis and malaria, respectively. M.
tuberculosis has two antibiotic resistant strains, known as multidrug
resistant TB and extensively drug resistant TB, which makes tuberculosis a major
world health concern. P. falciparum is also a significant
public health threat, with nearly half of the world’s population at risk of
contracting malaria.
When
designing an antibiotic, it is necessary to select a protein target that is
specific to the disease causing bacteria (to avoid toxicity to humans) and
necessary for its survival. Our lab
collaborates with Dr. Cynthia Dowd’s synthetic chemistry lab at George
Washington University; their lab synthesizes the compounds that I then test
against bacterial enzymes for their antibiotic potential.
The
research that I am working on is related to my academic and career goals. After graduating from Mason, I will go to
graduate school to obtain a PhD in genetics, then, I plan to stay in academia
to both teach at the collegiate level and research medical genetic conditions.
