Research in the Pilch lab is focused on the identification of novel antibacterial targets and the development of new antibiotics that can be used in the treatment of infections caused by MDR bacterial pathogens of acute clinical importance. Toward this goal, the lab is working on developing agents that target essential cell division proteins, such as FtsZ. More than 90% of all bacteria require FtsZ to undergo cell division, including many MDR Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. As schematically depicted below, FtsZ forms the scaffold that underlies the cell division machinery (termed the divisome) and recruits key division proteins, including the penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) that drive synthesis of the cell wall.
- Title
- Associate Professor
- pilchds@rwjms.rutgers.edu