Indiana University-Bloomington · BiologyThe Peptidoglycan Lab
Malcolm E. Winkler · Bloomington, Indiana
Research Focus
Dr. Malcolm E. Winkler's lab at Indiana University focuses on understanding how the cell wall of bacteria, specifically Streptococcus pneumoniae, is built and regulated. By studying the unique structures and processes that govern cell wall synthesis, the lab aims to uncover critical insights that could lead to the development of new antibiotics and vaccines to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This research is especially important for addressing public health challenges posed by superbugs.
peptidoglycan synthesisStreptococcus pneumoniaeantibiotic resistancecell wallGram-positive bacteriavaccine developmentsuperbugsbacterial dynamicscell division
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the dynamics of peptidoglycan synthesis in S. pneumoniae during cell division.
AIM 02Determine the regulatory mechanisms of the PG synthase nanomachines.
AIM 03Identify interactions between different peptidoglycan biosynthesis proteins.
AIM 04Assess the impact of environmental stress on cell wall synthesis.
AIM 05Explore new targets for antibiotic and vaccine development.
Skills the Lab Values
high-resolution microscopylive cell imagingmutational analysissingle-molecule trackingbiochemical assayscell culture techniquesbacterial geneticsdata analysis in microscopyprotein purification
Output against the department
Publications179top 37% of dept.384th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations11ktop 33% of dept.339th of 1,033
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.