{"id":165,"date":"2022-09-08T09:19:58","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T08:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_group&p=165"},"modified":"2022-12-21T10:18:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T10:18:36","slug":"czekster-lab","status":"publish","type":"research_group","link":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/research-group\/czekster-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Czekster Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

We have around 1013<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span>bacteria living in our bodies, a number comparable to the amount of human cells we possess.\u00a0This community of bacteria inhabiting us is called the microbiota. The human microbiota can contribute to development, outcome and response to treatment of various diseases including cancer, bacterial and viral infections.<\/p>\n

Why do some bacteria cause disease and can \u201ctake over\u201d environments that they wouldn\u2019t normally occupy? How can we keep good bacteria around and get rid or control the problematic ones?<\/p>\n

Our research combines enzymology, structural biology, chemical biology and microbiology to understand how bacteria produce and use cyclic peptides in interspecies and interkingdom warfare and\/or cooperation. Our purpose is to generate novel drugs, probes, carriers, and technologies that will allow us to control and modulate bacterial populations.<\/p>\n

Our group website: https:\/\/czeksterlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our research combines enzymology, structural biology, chemical biology and microbiology to understand how bacteria produce and use cyclic peptides in interspecies and interkingdom warfare and\/or cooperation. Our purpose is to generate novel drugs, probes, carriers, and technologies that will allow us to control and modulate bacterial populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":166,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-165","research_group","type-research_group","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"group_members":"Current lab members:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nClarissa Melo Czekster<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Group Leader\r\n\r\n\"\"I am from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where I went to college to obtain a BSc in Molecular Biology (2001-2004), a teaching degree in Biological Sciences (2003-2005), and an MSc in Biochemistry (2006-2008) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). I moved to New York city for a PhD in enzymology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine with John S. Blanchard (2008-2012). After my PhD I went to Yale University to join Alanna Schepartz\u2019s laboratory as a postdoc, working with beta-amino acids and the ribosome (2012-2014). I moved to the UK as a postdoc in Jim Naismith\u2019s group at the University of St Andrews (2015-2017), where I worked with toxic cyclic peptides from mushroom and cyanobacteria.\r\n\r\nSince 2017 I have been an independent research fellow in St Andrews, and in 2018 I was awarded a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust to establish my lab in St Andrews.\r\n\r\nClarissa Czekster on\u00a0<\/span>Google Scholar<\/a>\r\n\r\nOrcid: https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7163-4057<\/span><\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nChristopher J. Harding<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Postdoctoral fellow\r\n\r\nI am\u00a0 from Preston, where I grew up before moving to Birmingham to obtain an MSci in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham (2010-2014). I stayed on at the University of Birmingham for my PhD (2014-2018), where I worked in the laboratory of Dr Andrew Lovering. My PhD, titled \u201cStructural and Functional Investigations of\u00a0Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus\u00a0<\/i>Lifecycle Proteins\u201d involved characterising a number of unrelated protein targets. I have now moved to the University of St. Andrews to begin my first Postdoc position in the laboratory of Dr Clarissa M Czekster\r\n\r\nOrcid: https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0388-6460<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nRebecca Cornwell<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Public Engagement Officer\r\n\r\nOriginally from St Andrews, I graduated from the University of Durham with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics (1994) followed by a PGCE (with Qualified Teacher Status) from the University of Exeter (1995). I began teaching in Dorset, moving to Cambridge and then back home to St Andrews. I obtained Full Registration with the GTCS and, as well as, returning to teaching in Fife, I have held roles including Education Tutor at St Andrews Botanic Garden. Starting from studying Open University short courses, I went on to graduate with an MRes in Environmental Biology with Distinction (Conversion Course, 2011) from the University of St Andrews. I then graduated from the University of Dundee with an MPhil in Applied Mathematics (Mathematical Biology) for a thesis entitled \u201cThe Dynamics of Natural Enemy Resistance in Aphid Populations\u201d (2016). I am a Member of the Institute of Physics, Chartered Physicist and Member of the Royal Entomological Society. I have joined the Czekster lab as Public Engagement Officer for the \u201cAntibiotics under our feet\u201d project.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nPeijun (Gary) Tang<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Research Associate \u2013 Biocatalysis\r\n\r\nI am from Shanghai China, where I attended a cooperation program between Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and London Metropolitan University, obtaining a BSc in Pharmacy and Herbal Medicinal Science (2011-2015). Then I completed my MSc in Pharmaceutical Science & Medicinal Chemistry at Loughborough University (2015 \u2013 2016). Then, I moved to Edinburgh, where I started my PhD with Prof. Campopiano\u2019s group (2016 \u2013 2020) funded by Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship focusing on the \u2018Exploring the structure and function of key enzymes involved in microbial sphingolipid biosynthesis\u2019. Based on the interest on enzymology, I started my first job in the Dr. Clarissa M Czekster lab in the University of St. Andrews from 2021.\r\n\r\nOrcid:\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2647-9913<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nCharlene E. Ogilvie<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 PhD student\r\n\r\nI am from Dundee, where I attended college to obtain a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Applied Science and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Biomedical Science. I have since completed an integrated masters in biochemistry \u2013 MBiochem (Hons) \u2013 at the University of St Andrews (2014-2019) and have chosen to stay here to complete my postgraduate studies in the laboratory of Dr Clarissa M. Czekster. My PhD project will aim to identify whether cyclic peptides influence interspecies interactions in the mouth microbiota.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nEmmajay Sutherland<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 PhD student\r\n\r\nI am originally from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire however I completed my undergraduate studies at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. During my degree, I was given the opportunity to work within an industrial environment with MOF Technologies Ltd, Belfast (2017-2018). I graduated from Heriot-Watt in 2019 with an MSci in Chemistry with Industrial Experience. I have since started my postgraduate studies at the University of St Andrews with Dr Clarissa M. Czekster on a PhD project entitled \u201cExploiting cyclic dipeptides as novel anti-cancer therapeutics\u201d<\/i>\r\n\r\nOrcid: https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5150-4346<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nMartha Simpson<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 PhD student\r\n\r\nI am originally from Northampton in the East Midlands but moved to York in 2015 to begin my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry. As part of my degree, I undertook a year in industry at Allergan Biologics in Liverpool, where I used LC-MS to characterise antibody-based therapeutics. I (virtually) graduated from the University of York in 2020 with an MBiochem integrated masters. I have since moved to St Andrews to carry out a PhD project under the supervision of Dr Clarissa M. Czekster. My project will involve characterising bacterial and mammalian proteins which are involved in regulating protein degradation as part of the N-end rule.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"Ng\u1ecdc Anh Th\u01b0 Tr\u1ecbnh<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 PhD student\r\n\r\nI am from Viet Nam, where I completed my Bachelor\u2019s degree in Biochemistry at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (International University) in 2018. Following that, I obtained my Master of Science degree at Newcastle University in 2020 with a graduate thesis on the effect of one-time Ciclosporin A application on adaptive immunity in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In 2021, I started my PhD at the University of St Andrews under the supervision of Dr Clarissa M. Czekster. The objective of my project is to determine the molecular requirements for the activation of various anticancer compounds developed by ProTides technology. Out of research, I also enjoy photography, travelling, and reading.","publications":"[publications flag='individual' code='cmc27' dois='1' max='10' categorise='1']","research_projects":"