This project examines how climate-relevant stressors reshape resistant versus sensitive Escherichia coli. In the first phase, E. coli will be isolated and characterised from stool samples collected from consenting volunteers, yielding matched resistant and sensitive strains. These will be exposed to controlled climate-relevant stressors, elevated temperature, with vibrational spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR and Raman) tracking the evolving biochemical fingerprint and matched RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) resolving the underlying transcriptomics. To capture in vivo-like infection conditions, the Galleria mellonella larval model, well established in Dr Tan's lab, will be used at elevated temperatures to examine how climate stressors alter bacterial responses and virulence, again profiled by spectroscopy and RNA-seq. Integrating these layers will reveal whether resistance alters stress adaptation and whether warming modulates virulence, thereby informing AMR mechanisms, host–pathogen dynamics, and potentially rapid diagnostics.
For enquiries, please contact Dr Patrick Tan Hock Siew
For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website.
How to Apply
When you apply for admission into your preferred degree program you will be able to select your scholarship type. No separate application is required.
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However, before applying for a GEMS, it is recommended that you first contact the main supervisor for this GEMS research topic. Please provide details of your academic background and achievements to the supervisor so that they can assess your suitability for the GEMS research topic you are interested in.
Funding Notes
- Applicants must possess a minimum academic qualification of First Class Honours (H1) or its equivalence (H1E) recognised by Monash Malaysia.
- Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis.
