Postdoctoral Research Award 2024

Brent Simpson, postdoctoral fellow in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Infectious Diseases, focuses on cell envelope physiology of gram-negative bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, the most multi-drug resistant “superbug” to date. These studies reveal how different layers—including an outer membrane that surrounds the cell wall—function and how they protect the bacteria from harmful substances in their environment. Simpson has revealed new facets of how gram-negative bacteria build and maintain these different layers of the cell envelope, each performing a crucial role such as stabilizing the cell, allowing growth in various environments, and responding to such threats as the entry of noxious compounds and antibiotics. His findings represent a fundamental change in thinking about cell envelope biology and antibiotic resistance, with implications for developing new antibiotics and uncovering new details on how bacteria living in the human gut can hide from the immune system.