Written by Marta Nieckarz, Atin Sharma and Nóra Lehotai. Pictures: Marta Nieckarz and Atin Sharma. Credit: Marta Nieckarz and Atin Sharma.
Marta Nieckarz and Atin Sharma received a three-year fellowship for postdoctoral studies in medical science from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning, SSMF). Marta and Atin are both postdoctoral researchers at MIMS, Umeå University. Marta is a member of the Cava lab (group leader: Felipe Cava) and Atin is a member of the Puhar lab (group leader: Andrea Puhar).
Title of the proposed project by Marta Nieckarz: Deciphering bacterial cell wall biology and environmental adaptation mechanisms of Salmonella Typhimurium by omic-scale peptidoglycan profiling.
"I feel very honored to be the recipient of the Swedish Society for Medical Research fellowship, that is a great support to my research and career in science. The fellowship gives me the opportunity to investigate the mechanism used by Salmonella Typhimurium to adapt its cell wall to the different ecological niches outside and inside the human body. In this project, based on the genome wide peptidoglycan profiling, I will characterize the genetic determinants important for the synthesis and regulation of the peptidoglycan structure of S. Typhimurium. This study will help to find novel strategies to combat Salmonella infections and perhaps could contribute in the fight against other intracellular pathogens. I am very excited and grateful to be able to contribute to such research!”- commented Marta.
Title of the proposed project by Atin Sharma: Understanding the contribution of chromosomal genes in intracellular adaptation of Shigella: search for new virulence factors and potential drug targets.
“The SSMF postdoctoral grant is a prestigious award, and I am honored to be a recipient. The grant addresses a major issue a postdoc faces – a short unsustainable term. Providing salary on a contract for three years, the grant would allow me to focus more on science. The timing of the award also couldn’t be more perfect as I recently finished developing new molecular tools to understand the physiology of a Gram-negative bacterium; Shigella, and was looking for financial support to continue and apply those tools to find new drug targets in this bacterium. I have enjoyed my stay at MIMS working in the Puhar group, and this grant would allow me to continue this fruitful association.”- says Atin.
About the Swedish Society for Medical Research Fellowship
The Swedish Society for Medical Research (Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning, SSMF) provides the grants for post-doctoral studies in medical science. The aim is to give younger researchers the opportunity to achieve qualifications leading to the establishment of independent research.
Read more about the SSMF's postdoctoral grants for education in medical science:
https://www.ssmf.se/forskare/
https://www.ssmf.se/for-forskare/ssmfs-postdoktorala-studier/
More information in English: https://www.ssmf.se/for-forskare/ssmfs-postdoktorala-studier/ssmfs-postdoktorala-anslag_in-english/
Further information about Marta Nieckarz and Atin Sharma:
Marta Nieckarz earned her PhD at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, where she established gene regulatory mechanisms governing virulence properties and adaptation to changing environmental conditions of the enteropathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, particularly focusing on the principles of the outer membrane proteome plasticity. Her research interests are related to mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis in pathogenic bacteria. In the Cava Lab, she will explore the bacterial adaptation mechanisms at the level of the cell wall. Deciphering how bacteria modulate the composition of the cell wall can be crucial for development of the novel antimicrobial strategies.
Atin Sharma earned his PhD from the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, where he was working with the notorious bacterium – Acinetobacter baumannii. With the help of his colleagues, he studied an RNA chaperone protein – Hfq, which led to the identification of an efflux pump that contributes to antibiotic resistance and small molecules that inhibit efflux to reverse this resistance phenotype. In the Puhar lab, he got an opportunity to work with mammalian cells and understand more about the host side of infection. Working at MIMS, not only he is able to build on his previous experience as a molecular biologist, but he is being trained in infection biology which will give his scientific career a much-needed boost.
Find out more about the Cava lab:
https://thecavalab.com
Find out more about the Puhar lab:
http://www.mims.umu.se/groups/andrea-puhar.html
Contact persons:
Marta Nieckarz
Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Molecular Biology/MIMS
Unit: Group Felipe Cava
6K och 6L, Sjukhusområdet
Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Atin Sharma, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Molecular Biology/MIMS
Unit: Group Andrea Puhar
6K och 6L, Sjukhusområdet
Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
