Dr Emma Banks

Biography

I am a molecular microbiologist funded by a research fellowship awarded by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. The title of my fellowship is “Illuminating the mechanistic basis of virus-like gene transfer between bacteria”. The primary aim of my research is to understand the fundamental biology of virus-like particles called gene transfer agents (GTAs).

GTAs are found within bacterial genomes and can move DNA between bacterial cells. This means that GTAs can spread antibiotic resistance genes and contribute to the ever-worsening antibiotic resistance health crisis. Despite the importance of GTAs, we know relatively little about how they work, therefore investigating GTAs presents a really exciting opportunity to uncover some fascinating novel biology. Advances in fundamental GTA research could also ultimately lead to the engineering of synthetic GTA particles for use as new genetic tools or as novel therapeutics to kill pathogenic bacteria.