Lisa Lamberte

From September 2012 to November 2017 I have been studying as a PhD student and subsequently, as a Research Fellow at the laboratory of Professor David Grainger of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection (IMI). Professor Grainger’s research focuses on the interaction of DNA with other molecular machinery in a bacterial cell. Under his supervision, I have become an expert in molecular biology and biochemical techniques on gene regulation.

In December 2017, I have joined the laboratory of Professor Willem van Schaik at the IMI. Professor van Schaik’s research focuses on the human gut microbiome as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes. Under his supervision, I was exposed to the exciting fields of microbial ecology, microbial (meta)genomics and antimicrobial resistance. In particular, I have been given the opportunity to receive training in a new and powerful technique (Emulsion, Paired Isolation and Concatenation PCR or epicPCR) in the laboratory of Dr. Marko Virta at the University of Helsinki in Finland. epicPCR links genes with their host bacteria in a complex environment, which is currently not possible with standard metagenomic shotgun sequencing techniques. Coincidentally, my trip to Helsinki has been partly funded by the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.

 I am fascinated by the complex, but understudied, spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial populations and I feel that my previous experience in research in molecular microbiology forms a solid foundation for me to start this new line of research. My longer term plans include establishing links with my country of origin, the Philippines. Like in many Asian countries, antibiotic resistance is an urgent public health issue in the Philippines and this proposal will pave the way for me to establish links between the UK and the Philippines on this topic.