Kimberly Specht

My research interests are interdisciplinary in nature, spanning the traditional boundaries of synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology. I am interested in the chemistry of biological surfaces, particularly those that contain sugars, and the role of the sugars at these surfaces. One project in my group looks to develop a model system for glycosylated surfaces. While cell surfaces are covered in carbohydrates, many of the details concerning interactions with carbohydrates are yet to be uncovered. In particular, we seek to develop a model system that contains sugars fixed in space and orientation to an extended sheet surface that will allow for the probing of sugar-sugar and sugar-conjugate interactions at defined spacings. My larger interest in surfaces containing sugars led me to an interest in bacterial cell walls. These cell walls contain a system of cross-linked sugars and peptides called peptidoglycan whose synthesis is the target of many commonly used antibiotics. A second on-going project studies the proteins that synthesize this peptidoglycan, called penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), from the bacterial species Burkholderia cenocepacia. This bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen that is of clinical relevance to Cystic Fibrosis patients. It is of particular interest because it is largely resistant to antibiotics, and utilizes many resistance mechanisms. In my lab, we have identified, cloned, expressed, and isolated several PBPs from this bacterium. We have begun studies to characterize these proteins.

I have a strong interest in working with undergraduate students and many students who have worked in my lab have presented their work at national conferences. I am also interested in the research regarding the best pedagogies for teaching chemistry. This has translated into lab development and classroom strategies that explore techniques current in the literature.