Major Professor: Zgurskaya
Email: mithilafarjana@ou.edu
Hometown:
Bangladesh
Education:
B.Sc., Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Khulna University
To initiate with, I often dived into thinking that after taking all suggested antibiotics, why are we not getting rid of the same consequences? Even I became shocked by the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that are the biggest threats to global public health nowadays. During my undergraduate study, when I came to know more about multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens (e.g. „ESKAPE‟ bacteria), I felt the necessity for innovation in antibiotic discovery against resistant infection. The instinct to do something in life triggered me to explore the innards of the resistance mechanism that leads to inexorable death. As a result, I always dreamt of involving myself in drug discovery research and wanted to study Biochemistry which aligns with my research interest.
Based on my interests, I started to get involved with antibiotic resistance and drug discovery research and so I joined Dr. Helen I. Zgurskaya's lab. The group focuses on one of the major multidrug resistance mechanisms ‘efflux pumps and antibiotic resistance in gram-negative pathogens. I am currently working on BpeEF-OprC efflux pump in one of the gram-negative bacteria named Burkholderia thailandensis.
My post-grad plan is to engage myself with research work in an industry relevant to my field.
Awards
