The Maxwell Lab
Studies in the Maxwell lab focus on the interactions of bacteria with the viruses, known as bacteriophages, that infect and kill them. The Maxwell group leverages a cutting edge, multi-disciplinary approach, combining their extensive expertise in phage biology, structural biology, bioinformatics, with detailed in vitro and in vivo studies to investigate exciting new areas in phage biology.
Current projects in the Maxwell lab fall under two main research areas: anti-phage defence and characterizing the dark matter of phage genomes. For more detailed information, please see our publications here or on PubMed.
Our Research
Phage-Host Evolutionary Arms Race
While phages have been studied for over a century now, we still don’t know the function of the vast majority of their genes. These unknown genes are collectively known as viral “dark matter”. Importantly, this dark matter can increase the severity of human diseases by transmitting toxins and antibiotic resistance genes. We are working to characterize the dark matter encoded by phages that infect Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important human pathogen.
Dark Matter of Phage Genomes
Bacteria and the viruses that infect them engage in an intricate evolutionary dance; bacteria evolve defence systems to protect themselves from phage infection, and phages, in turn, find ways to overcome these defences. Our lab is investigating various anti-phage defences and counter defences in pathogenic bacteria. The long term goal is to use this information to engineer phages for treating antibiotic resistant infections in human patients.