Ronan McCarthy

Lovely work driven by Lizzie Ledger in the group: a new but druggable mechanism by which Staphs produce biofilm using components of human serum. First polysaccharides, then protein, then eDNA, now lipids too!

bsky.app/profile/bior...

Hiring two postdocs, 3-years each, at @unisouthampton.bsky.social. We're investigating bat guano in Mexico

One postdoc in my group - plant/soil micro/microbiome: tinyurl.com/2zu8nrmv

One postdoc in bat ecology + ecoservices: tinyurl.com/27attrsc

Deadline March 30

@sotonbiosciences.bsky.social

A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...

The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life.

This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..

Fascinating stuff…

🧪🦠

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

In our most recent work David Forrest has discovered a widespread mechanisms linking transcription initiation to DNA supercoiling...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The defect of the ΔtatABC mutant adhesion is specifically due to the lack of the tatABC operon.

Invasive Acinetobacter baumannii ABC141 strain relies on the twin-arginine translocation export system for adhesion to host cells. Published Open Access and fee-free in Microbiology using a Publish and Read agreement: doi.org/10.1099/mic....

#MicrobioJ #PublishAndRead

🚨 Fully‑funded PhD for Home Students🚨

We'll explore non-antibiotic alternatives in relatistic environments, uncovering how they work, if they affect antibiotic activity and whether they influcence AMR acquistion. Come join a wonderful supervisory team!

#MicroSky #UTISky #AMar

tinyurl.com/38u552bu

Phenylacetic acid mediates Acinetobacter baumannii entry into a viable but non-culturable state Desiccation tolerance is central to the pathogenic success of the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, allowing its survival on hospital surfaces in the absence of water and nutrients for m...

Delighted to share our latest work exploring the regulation of desiccation tolerance in Acinetobacter baumannii. Great effort by @lharkova.bsky.social and @rdedios.bsky.social

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

I am thrilled to share with you the outcome of the first collaboration with Albesa-Jove's lab (albesalab.org), in which we characterised the molecular mechanisms underlying the binding of a T6SS adaptor-effector pair in P. putida, Tap3–Tke5. (🧵1/9). Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1038/s443...

Next-generation phage therapeutics for combating antibiotic-resistant infections at University of Southampton on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Next-generation phage therapeutics for combating antibiotic-resistant infections at University of Southampton, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD studentship available: Join the phage frontline against AMR! 🧫 🔬
Funded by Wessex Medical Research × Rosetrees Trust.
With @fnobrega.bsky.social, Prof Saul Faust (NIHR Southampton), Dr Liz Sheridan (NHS Dorset).
Info & Apply → www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Email me for informal enquiries

Preprint out: We characterise PUA-Cal-HAD, a widespread bacterial antiphage defence family. An infection cue switches a preassembled complex into an immune filament that drains dNTPs via a coupled two-enzyme cascade, and phage DNA mimics can block filament assembly (anti-polymerisation).

Clinical isolates from chronic wounds reveal strain-specific, alkyl-quinolone-independent competition in Pseudomonas aeruginosa–Staphylococcus aureus biofilms Introduction. Chronic wounds are notoriously difficult to treat and are associated with decreased limb function, reduced quality of life and significant morbidity. Their recurrent nature, despite aggr...

P. aeruginosa can outcompete S. aureus in chronic wounds through strain-specific, alkyl-quinoline-independent mechanisms. This highlights why clinical isolates are key to understanding these infections. 🧬🧫 #Microbiology #Biofilms #Microsky www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Fascinating

Diagram of genes required for in vivo fitness in different organs displayed as bar graphs

Gene dependence during mammalian Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia and septicaemia infections. Published Open Access and fee-free in MGen using a Publish and Read agreement: doi.org/10.1099/mgen... #MGen #PublishAndRead

I had a great time chatting with 7th and 8th graders in New York through @skypeascientist.bsky.social!

We covered things from antibiotics resistance to what it’s like to be a researcher. Their curiosity and questions really reminded me why sharing science matters 💡🙌

Comparative study of common over-the-counter wound care products against early and mature biofilms of antibiotic-resistant wound pathogens AbstractBackground. The global rise of antimicrobial resistance requires innovative and affordable wound care solutions. Moreover, managing wounds infected

Delighted to share the latest from the lab where we explore the efficacy of over-the-counter wound care products against bacterial biofilms

(Spoiler Alert: Some are much better than others)

academic.oup.com/jacamr/artic...

Description Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...

We're advertising for a bacteriology technician and a post-doc to work on AI-guided antibiotic development as part of a large multidisciplinary Fleming Initiative project:
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Advancing urinary tract infection treatment through on-chip technological innovation at University of Southampton on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Advancing urinary tract infection treatment through on-chip technological innovation at University of Southampton, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD Opportunity: Advance UTI treatment with on-chip tech! 🔬🧫
Work at the microbiology-bioengineering interface with Hywel Morgan, @fnobrega.bsky.social and me.
Program EPSRC/MOD CISDnS CDT cisdns-cdt.ac.uk
Co-funded by IfLS Southampton
tinyurl.com/infoUTI
tinyurl.com/applyUTI
Deadline: 8 Dec 2025

Powering team science to unlock life’s secrets Four world-class teams awarded major BBSRC sLoLa grants to push the frontiers of discovery in microbiology, photosynthesis, gene regulation and quantum biology.

Really excited to say that we have been awarded a BBSRC sLola! Really looking forward to kick off this project with such a fantastic team! @webberma.bsky.social @overtonlab.bsky.social @bugsinblood.bsky.social Sara Jabbari, Dong-Hyun Kim @imibirmingham.bsky.social www.ukri.org/news/powerin...

Amazing news, congratulations!

Deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs rose 17% in England in 2024 Data also shows an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases of antibiotic-resistant infections a week last year

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Bacterial warfare is associated with virulence and antimicrobial resistance - Nature Communications Bacteria employ a range of competition systems that deliver toxins to inhibit competing strains. This study shows that these systems are particularly important for the ecology of virulent and antibiot...

So happy to share this! Bacteriocins were first discovered over 100 years ago, but what do they actually do? We look at >1000 bacteriocin plasmids and find links to virulence and antimicrobial resistance, and frequent bacteriocin sharing in Enterobacteriaceae.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership: Hiding in plain sight: How multi-drug resistant pathogens evade detection and killing by human neutrophils at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership: Hiding in plain sight: How multi-drug resistant pathogens evade detection and killing by human neutrophils at Newcastle University, listed on Fin...

If you are interested in researching how drug resistant bacteria evade killing by our immune system, them this PhD project is for you. Come join the our team at Newcastle, in collaboration with University of Liverpool, and lead research at the interface of microbiology, immunology and metabolomics.

Paul Nurse describing the main job of a PI

(From ‘The Thinking Game’, 2024)

the @ukbiofilms.bsky.social I will be advertising several positions for my lab over the next few weeks/months so please do get in touch

I'm delighted to share that I have joined the School of Biological Sciences at @unisouthampton.bsky.social as Professor in Microbial Biofilms. I'm very excited about this next step in my academic journey and the opportunity to work more closely with all the great scientists at Southampton and

Antibiotic Resistance and Mechanisms (ARM) Workshop for Researchers 2025 - The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Join us in Birmingham for the annual BSAC #AntibioticResistance & Mechanisms workshop - excellent talks and it’s designed to make conversation & networking between attendees easy #MicroSky bsac.org.uk/antibiotic-r...

📝 Call for abstracts is open for #ACC2026!

Researchers are invited to share their work on #AMR for short talks or poster presentations.

💡 Themes: child & maternal health, stewardship & access, clinical research, AI in health & more.

⏳ Deadline: 14 Nov 2025, 17:00 GMT
🔗 acc-conference.com#posters

Now published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Very nice collaboration with Hoogenboom ( @ucl.ac.uk ) and Bonev ( @uniofnottingham.bsky.social ) labs.

Delighted to share that Lyuboslava Harkova passed her PhD viva today with only minor corrections. Her thesis focused on virulence regulation in Acinetobacter baumannii. Special thanks to Prof Jake Malone and Dr Ayca Sayi Yazgan for being fantastic examiners

Delighted to share that @evgeniamaslova.bsky.social passed her PhD viva today with only minor corrections. Her project focused on novel models to study wound infection. Thank you to the @nc3rs.bsky.social for funding her PhD and @flamycain.bsky.social and Anthony Tsolaki for being superb examiners.