Professor Iain Lamont
Co-director
Professor Iain Lamont is based at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago in Dunedin. He has a long-standing interest in understanding how bacteria resist antibiotics and cause infectious disease. He and his research team have a particular focus on pathogenic Pseudomonas bacteria. These bacteria are widespread in the general environment but also cause severe infections in animals or patients suffering from any one of a number of predisposing conditions. The bacteria have low-level resistance to most antibiotics but, worryingly, many Pseudomonas bacteria now have high resistance to most antibiotics and Pseudomonas infections are amongst the most difficult to treat to treat.
Professor Lamont and his research team are using a wide range of molecular and computational tools and approaches to understand how Pseudomonas bacteria resist antibiotics and survive during infection. Their long-term aim is to develop new treatment strategies to allow better management of Pseudomonas infections. Within One Health Aotearoa, they have a specific interest in understanding the mechanisms and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and ways to minimise the development of antibiotic resistance.
