Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of bacterial infections in developed countries and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is one of the most significant antibiotic resistant bacteria world-wide. For this reason, my research is dedicated to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of Staphylococcus aureus to cause disease and to develop antibiotic resistance. Focus has been on the highly conserved ClpP proteases and Clp chaperones that we have shown to be absolutely essential for the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. We are currently investigating how the Clp proteases and chaperones central activities such as:

Virulence gene regulation
Antibiotic resistance
Cell division
The long-term objective of my research is to provide the scientific basis for the development of drugs interfering with these mechanisms.