Resistance to antibiotics is a global threat to public health. It is estimated that by 2050, 10 million people will die annually of resistant infections. To combat this looming prospect we need to restock our arsenal of effective antibiotics. Unfortunately, all conventional approaches for antibiotic discovery have failed. Here, we propose a radically-different approach. We will exploit antibiotic targets that have been historically underexplored. By designing an innovative fluorescent assay that reports on target engagement, we will screen a large library for antibiotic activity against these unexplored targets. We expect to discover potent antibiotics with a completely new mechanism-of-action.

Quantum chemistry for quantum molecules In addition to Bose-Einstein condensates of atoms, researchers have recently realized the first Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules; a quantum gas of molecules. Such quantum gases can be used to simulate electrons in materials, or for the development of upcoming quantum technologies. However, the properties of the molecular quantum gas are largely unexplored. The researcher will develop new and unconventional methods to describe molecular quantum gases based on methods from quantum chemistry, where these are applied to electrons instead of molecules.

Materials that spontaneously “morph” their structure and optimize themselves to particular functions will open entirely new pathways towards adaptive materials or soft robotics. The researchers will establish interactive hydrogels that self-assemble from a “design less” state and can get their morphology optimized to perform targeted mechanical operations upon swelling and contraction, in analogy to muscles. Hydrogels will be formed around an array of electrodes and integrate input signals from the electrodes via electrochemical reactions, supramolecular assemblies and dynamic conductive pathways to locally enhance or suppress hydrogel growth, swelling and contraction: enabling far more complex swelling/contraction routines then classical hydrogels generate.

Nanocarriers have been developed to overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutics by enabling site-specific drug delivery. However, to reach diseased sites, nanocarriers must overcome sequential biological barriers, each demanding specific shapes for efficient traversal. Thus, relying on a simple shape proves challenging in traversing all biological barriers for the successful accumulation of nanocarriers at diseased sites. Here, to integrate the benefits of different simple shapes, nanocarriers adopt a coupled shape featuring heterogeneous curvatures within a single vesicle, where distinct curvatures are customized for specific biological barriers. This research holds the potential to significantly advance the development of next-generation nanocarriers.

HIV remains a pressing global health threat, affecting millions worldwide. HIV infected cells can be found in two states, either actively replicating, where HIV is killing a patient’s immune cells as it spreads; or in a dormant state, called latency, where HIV is quietly hiding and cannot be targeted by drug treatment. HIV latency is the major barrier to an HIV cure. In this project, we will study how HIV remains dormant and hides within human cells with the ultimate goal of devising a new strategy to minimize the latent HIV population within patients.