Harvard University · Microbiology & ImmunologyBacterial Cell Envelope Dynamics Lab
Suzanne Walker · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Suzanne Walker's lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on understanding bacterial cell envelopes and their roles in antibiotic resistance. The team investigates how bacteria maintain their structural integrity and how this knowledge can aid in developing new antibiotics. By exploring the molecular mechanisms behind cell envelope biogenesis, the lab aims to identify new therapeutic targets to combat resistant bacterial infections.
antibiotic resistancebacterial cell wallglycopeptide antibioticspeptidoglycancell envelopelipopolysaccharideshydrolaseslipoteichoic acidmembrane biology
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the mechanisms of glycopeptide antibiotics in inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis.
AIM 02Explore the role of peptidoglycan acetylation in regulating cell wall hydrolases.
AIM 03Determine how hydrolase activity is coordinated with lipopolysaccharide transport.
AIM 04Identify vulnerabilities in lipoteichoic acid assembly related to membrane homeostasis.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturebacterial geneticsprotein purificationmicroscopyenzyme assaysmolecular cloningWestern blottingRNA sequencingbioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications342top 12% of dept.60th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations18ktop 21% of dept.103rd of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.