Adam Fortais

Antibiotics are compounds that fight bacterial infections by either slowing the growth of bacteria or killing them. Antibiotics generally work by inhibiting processes and pathways needed for bacterial growth and/or survival. Enzymes necessary for bacterial growth/virulence (which are absent in mammals) are promising antimicrobial targets. But, how do we know what this inhibitor should look like?   Pallavi Mukherjee, a 3rd year PhD Candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, aims to answer this question with her research! Tune in to learn more about what the transition state of a reaction is, why isolating its structure can inform the development of antibiotics, and the tools used to study the transition state! You’ll also learn how Pallavi spends her time outside the lab!