This research focuses on one of the most urgent global health challenges, antibiotic resistance, and the diminishing supply of effective antibiotics. In the search for novel antibiotics, students in all sections of Microbiology Lab at JCCC collect soil samples and screen and test bacteria found in these samples for evidence of antibiotic production. Students each choose an ideal candidate, test them against safe relatives of pathogens to verify they are producing an antibiotic and work to fully characterize the bacteria. The most promising candidates are passed along to the CHEM 140 students who work to extract, separate, isolate and test the antimicrobial compounds/antibiotics produced by these selected bacteria.
In the lab students will
- Extract antibiotics
- Test the antibiotics for activity against tester strains
- Graph results
- Use chromotography methods to separate mixtures, such as thin-layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Students will also
- Collaborate with other students
- Solve lab problems
- Present research results at a poster symposium