| I am a biochemist/ microbiologist from Melbourne, Australia, currently working at the Ludwig-Maximillians University of Munich, Germany. I work in the laboratory of Professor Hubert Hilbi, researching Legionnaire's disease. |
| Legionnaire's disease is caused by the replication of the bacterium Legionella Pneumophila within the lungs, which leads to an often fatal penumonia. While macrophages within the lungs are normally able to ingest and destroy bacteria, Legionella is able to hijack the normal digestive process and establish a safe vacuole within the macrophage in which it can freely replicate. |
| Determining inhibitors of this process is important in understanding and targeting Legionella replication. This is where I come in, my work involves the screening and development of small molecule inhibitors of intracellular replication, a study which is performed in collaboration with several other groups in Switzerland. |
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