The Carlson research group seeks to address the public health emergency of antibiotic resistance. Traditional antibacterial drugs directly kill bacteria, which results in the rapid evolution of resistance. Our innovative approach is to instead block the ability of bacteria to sense and respond to their surroundings. We are working to dramatically expand the community's understanding of how bacteria interact with their environment and how this can be disrupted to weaken a pathogen’s ability to cause disease.
Our research is highly multidisciplinary - members gain expertise in probe and inhibitor design and synthesis, mass spectrometry, biochemistry, proteomics and metabolomics, molecular biology, and microbiology.
2/2026: Congratulations to Patty on publication of her paper, "Covalent Inhibitors of Bacterial Histidine Kinases" in Chemical Communications!
1/2026: Congratulations to Jacob on publication of his paper, "Structural and Dynamics Analyses of β-Lactam Inhibition of Streptococcus pneumoniae Penicillin-Binding Protein 1b (PBP1b) Guide Interrogation of Structure-Activity Relationships" in ACS Chemical Biology!
11/2025: Welcome to new chemistry students joining the group - Khadija Sani, Carter Kuehn, and Fatima Martinez, who will be co-advised by Professor Alex Grenning.
10/2025: The group had a great time at an apple orchard!
Structural and Dynamics Analyses of β-Lactam Inhibition of Streptococcus pneumoniae Penicillin-Binding Protein 1b (PBP1b) Guide Interrogation of Structure-Activity Relationships
Flanders, P. L.;† Gillingham, J. R.;† Contreras-Martel, C.; Dessen, A.; Carlson, E. E.;* Ambrose. E. A.* ACS Chem. Biol. 2026, doi: 10.1021/acschembio.5c00788
We believe that collaboration among people of all cultures, experiences, and backgrounds enhances science and contributes to excellence in teaching, learning, and research. We strive to promote a climate that celebrates our differences, dismantle racist and other discriminatory practices, and promote an environment where all have the opportunity to thrive.
Learn more about the efforts of our department and Professor Carlson in an eNews article and on the departmental website to promote a welcoming and safe environment to learn and perform research.
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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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