Basil Vogelsanger

Throughout my PhD, I aim to explore how pathogens adapt to antimicrobial treatment over time and to study the underlying dynamics of resistance evolution, using theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches. Specifically, I am curious about how the formation of bacterial biofilms influences the evolution of resistance opposed to the more commonly researched planktonic mode of growth. Recent estimates suggest that the majority of all infections are biofilm related and that bacteria in biofilms can have elevated mutation rates as well as strongly increased phenotypic tolerance towards antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides, making bacterial biofilms highly interesting in the context of drug resistance evolution. Therefore, my work will centre around the biofilm mode of growth and its interplay with the planktonic population, investigating how it influences the emergence and spread of resistance.