Kim Lewis

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
• University Distinguished Professor
• Director, Antimicrobial Discovery Center

ACADEMIC EDUCATION:
• BSc, Biology, Moscow University, Moscow, USSR
• PhD, Biochemistry, Moscow University, Moscow, USSR

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
The focus of my research is on antimicrobial drug tolerance and drug discovery. Microorganisms produce persister cells, which are dormant variants that are highly tolerant to killing by all known antibiotics. Persisters are largely responsible for relapsing chronic infections caused by biofilms. Using transcriptome analysis, cell sorting and whole genome sequencing we are identifying genes responsible for persister formation. Both drug tolerance and conventional drug resistance require development of new antibiotics, and our discovery efforts include screening compounds from previously "uncultured" species of microorganisms, and high-throughput screening for compounds with novel mode of action.

HOME PAGE
http://www.northeastern.edu/adc/