Description: Molecular processes that underlie the process of how bacteria develop into spores
Understanding how bacteria develop into one of the toughest cell types on Earth
Research in the Rodrigues lab is focused on understanding how bacteria develop into one of the toughest cell types on Earth - Spores.
Spores are dormant, highly-resistant cells that allow bacteria to persist in the environment. Spores are inert to antibiotics and resist common sterilisation methods that kill actively growing bacteria. In the right conditions, spores germinate and generate new populations of bacteria. Some spore-forming bacteria cause disease in humans, animals and insects, and contaminate food sources. The Rodrigues lab is interested in the molecular processes that underlie the process of how bacteria develop into spores.