Developing a mode of action toolkit for Cryptosporidium

This PhD project aims to develop a toolkit to assist drug discovery in Cryptosporidium by increasing knowledge of Mode of Action, using the Cryptosporidium lysyl-tRNA synthetase (KRS) target as an example case. To achieve this, I will first determine the essentiality of the Cryptosporidium drug target KRS and confirm on-target activity of anti-cryptosporidial compounds that are currently under development within the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU). This will be achieved by creating genetically modified Cryptosporidium. Additionally, I will adapt other mode of action tools for use in Cryptosporidium. This includes thermal proteomics profiling (TPP), which provides an unbiased method to determine the protein target of a compound, and the development of drug resistant strains of Cryptosporidium. Project provides training in Quantitative & Interdisciplinary Skills