Searching for new ways to treat “superbugs”
Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and a co-director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of British Columbia
British Columbia Lung Association grant recipient
Dr. Thompson is studying how bacteria become immune to antibiotics, which is a growing concern in treating bacterial infections, particularly tuberculosis. Traditional methods of finding new antibiotics are becoming less effective as new antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop. This can be caused by the evolution of bacteria but is most commonly due to patients not taking the full course of medication. Stronger drugs need to be developed to treat “superbugs”. Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on identifying genes within harmful bacteria that allow it to become “immune” to antibiotics.
