Meet the Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Finalists: Alix Lee

Alix Lee: Second year PhD student at Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, UK

What is the title of your talk?

Uncovering a Type VI Secretion System Molecular Switch That Governs the Horizontal Gene Transfer of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes, and Virulence Gene Dissemination​

What are your current research interests?

Bacteria-bacteria interactions, antimicrobial resistance gene and virulence factor dissemination, and infectious disease. My current research is focused on establishing the role of the Type VI Secretion System in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

How would you explain your research to a GCSE student?

Bacteria-bacteria interactions allow sharing of genetic material between different bacteria, such as antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors. This leads to emergence of multidrug resistance and hypervirulent bacteria, causing untreatable infections in healthy individuals. Bacteria can fight each other using a needle complex, known as the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS), to gain competitive advantage in their environment. My research aims to establish the role of the T6SS in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors in Klebsiella pneumoniae – a bacteria responsible for causing pneumoniae and sepsis, amongst other diseases.

If you weren’t a microbiologist what would you be?

Looking after rescue dogs and helping them get adopted.