Bioanalytical Chemistry

The Pires lab uses synthetic chemistry as a platform to construct cell wall analogs that metabolically label live bacteria and mimic key aspects of cell wall architecture. Through this work, the interrogation of cell wall remodeling and processing in pathogenic bacteria will guide the design of next-generation antibiotics that circumvent resistance mechanisms. Moreover, we are working to establish the fundamental framework of a non-traditional antibiotic therapy based on the specific recruitment of components of the immune cells to target the destruction of pathogenic bacteria.

Biosystems often exhibit subpopulations with phenotypic heterogeneity, as part of their adaptation strategy to genetic and environmental influences. Stratifying this heterogeneity can lead to precision medicine-based approaches for disease diagnostics and for screening subjects towards advanced therapeutics.