Plasmid Biology and Evolution
In the PBE lab we are interested in the evolutionary forces that drive plasmid dynamics in bacterial populations, with special focus in the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they can transfer genes horizontally between different bacteria. The most striking example of how plasmids drive bacterial evolution is the global spread of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance over the last few decades.