Alex (Donghoon) Kang

Research Interests:

I'm researching the role of siderophore pyoverdine in Pseudomonas aeruginosa host pathogen interaction. I'm currently identifying the mechanism of how pyoverdine translocates into host cells and damages host mitochondria. Furthermore, I'm elucidating the role of other virulence factors and toxins produced by P. aeruginosa in pyoverdine biosynthesis and pyoverdine translocation. From this work, I recently started looking into small molecule inhibitors that can target these virulence factors and pyoverdine biosynthesis simultaneously. These small molecules are potential antivirulence therapeutics that can replace or synergize with conventional antibiotics.