Vassilis Koronakis

Professor Vassilis Koronakis is a Professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge, specializing in crystallography, cell biology, biochemistry and infection. His research combines cellular and structural biology with biochemistry to uncover how disease-causing bacteria subvert host cells to initiate infection and how microbes build nanomachines in their cell membranes to pump out antibiotics, developing multi-drug resistance.

Professor Koronakis leads the Koronakis Group within the Microbiology and Parasitology Division at the Department of Pathology. His research focuses on several key areas of bacterial pathogenesis and cellular biology:

• Bacterial toxin export and multidrug efflux mechanisms
• Action of Salmonella effector proteins during mammalian cell entry
• Exploiting pathogenic E.coli to model transmembrane receptor signalling
• Deciphering cellular signalling to the cytoskeleton

His work primarily investigates how diverse molecules, from small antibacterial drugs to large protein toxins, are exported directly across the membranes of Gram-negative bacteria through the reversible interaction of inner membrane translocases with TolC 'channel-tunnel' proteins. Having determined the high-resolution structure of TolC, his group uses biochemical and biophysical methods to probe channel-tunnel dynamics and identify potential inhibitory agents.

Analysis of Professor Koronakis's recent publications reveals a strong focus on bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms, particularly how pathogens manipulate host cell cytoskeleton and signaling pathways. His research spans structural biology of bacterial efflux pumps, molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, and the intricate interplay between bacterial effectors and host cellular machinery during infection. Key themes include actin cytoskeleton regulation, bacterial toxin export systems, and the molecular basis of multidrug resistance, with particular emphasis on ABC transporters like MacB and tripartite efflux systems.

Professor Koronakis leads an active research group comprising several research associates including Dr Anthony Davidson, Dr Nicholas Greene, Dr Peter Hume, Dr Elise Kaplan, Dr Paul Szewczyk, and Dr Joe Tyler. His group also includes graduate student Abigail Jepson and Chief Research Laboratory Technician Rachael Stone. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, his extensive publication record spanning decades indicates sustained research funding for his investigations into bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance mechanisms.

The Koronakis Group operates within the Department of Pathology's research facilities at the University of Cambridge, utilizing advanced structural biology and cellular imaging techniques to investigate bacterial infection mechanisms. Their work intersects with several key research themes within the Microbiology and Parasitology Division, contributing to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level and providing insights that could inform novel approaches to combat antibiotic resistance.