Ghazal Jamirad

Ghazal Jamirad
Ghazal Jamirad

Contact details

Thesis title

Computational Modelling of interactions of Antimicrobial Peptides with Bacterial Cell Membranes

Research overview

Multidrug resistance to conventional antibiotics represents a critical global health challenge, driving the urgent need for effective and biocompatible antimicrobial alternatives. Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Peptide Polymers (SNAPPs) have emerged as a promising solution. SNAPPs composed of Amino Acids blocks display sub-micromolar activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, with cryo-TEM revealing multimodal antibacterial action. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Our work employs molecular dynamics simulations to investigate SNAPP–bacterial envelope interactions, enabling rational design and optimization of next-generation SNAPPs with enhanced and accelerated antibacterial activity.

Research group

Integrated Computational Materials Group (ICME)

Supervisors

Dr Ellie Hajizadeh

Prof Neil O'Brien-Simpson

Prof Greg Qiao

Prof Kate Smith-Miles

Qualifications

B.Sc. Materials Science and Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Iran (2018)

M.Eng. Materials Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Iran (2022)