Tom ZAPLANA

Research activities

My research focuses on elucidating novel biosynthetic pathways of specialized metabolites in bacteria, in particular those involving polyketide synthases (PKSs), for the discovery of new bioactive molecules.

My main lines of research revolve around three complementary themes:

• Biochemical analysis of key biosynthetic enzymes,
• Heterologous expression of chosen pathways
• Identification and characterization of  produced metabolites

To carry out this work, I use a combination of molecular biology, genetic engineering and biochemical approaches, coupled with advanced analytical chemistry and chemoinformatic tools enabling the detection of compounds of interest.