Bacterial Mechanobiology

During the course of infection or in the wild, bacteria experience different stimuli including mechanical forces, to which they must adapt. Still, we know little about how bacteria respond to stimuli such mechanics. For example, during human infections, the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa encounters tissues of different stiffness and fluids with a wide range of viscosity. Whether P. aeruginosa senses and respond to these environments has been largely unresolved.

Our lab investigates how bacteria respond to mechanical forces. We aim at identifying how they sense and adapt to different mechanical environments, in particular during the process of infections. We hope to ultimately translate our understanding of bacterial mechanobiology into alternative therapeutic strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.