BSc Biochemistry, University College Cardiff 1987 PhD Biochemistry, University of Leicester 1990 MRC Career Development Fellowship, 1996-2000

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases Bacterial Cell Wall Biosynthesis Bacterial Cell Division Antimicrobial Drug Discovery

Track record: David Roper is a former MRC Career Development Award fellow at the University of York and now reader in Structural Biology at the University Warwick. The Roper group uses structural biology techniques, principally X-ray structural determination, in combination with molecular biology and biochemical approaches, to investigate the molecular basis of microbial physiology in relation to antimicrobial resistance. Current areas of research include and bacterial cell wall (peptidoglycan) biosynthesis, bacterial cell division and antibiotic resistance signalling systems as well as targetting tRNA synthetases in bacterial pathogens. His research encompasses fundamental and translation approaches including assay development and drug discovery approaches. In addition, his research group also uses a synthetic and systems biology approaches to obtain and reengineer pathway intermediates as chemical probes, substrates and inhibitors. This approach not only allows novel insight to the biology underpinning these pathways but also enables biotechnological exploration and exploitation.

Vajs, Jure, Proud, Conor, Brozovic, Anamaria, Gazvoda, Martin, Lloyd, Adrian J., Roper, David I., Osmak, Maja, KoÅ¡mrlj, Janez, Dowson, Christopher G.. 2017. Diaryltriazenes as antibacterial agents against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mycobacterium smegmatis. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 127, pp. 223-234, View Calvez, Philippe, Breukink, Eefjan, Roper, David I., Dib, Mélanie, Contreras-Martel, Carlos, Zapun, André. 2017. Substitutions in PBP2b from ß-lactam resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae have different effects on enzymatic activity and drug reactivity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, View Usha, Veeraraghavan, Lloyd, Adrian J., Roper, David I., Dowson, Christopher G., Kozlov, Guennadi, Gehring, Kalle, Chauhan, Smita, Imam, Hasan T., Blindauer, Claudia A., Besra, Gurdyal S.. 2016. Reconstruction of diaminopimelic acid biosynthesis allows characterisation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase. Scientific Reports, 6, View Broughton, Claire, Berg, Hugo van den, Wemyss, Alan M., Roper, David I., Rodger, Alison. 2016. Beyond the discovery void : new targets for antibacterial compounds. Science Progress, 99 (2), pp. 153-182, View Kaner, Rebecca A., Allison, Simon A., Faulkner, Alan D., Simpson, Daniel H., Waterfield, Nicholas R., Phillips, Roger M., Roper, David I., Shepherd, Samantha L., Scott, Peter. 2016. Anticancer metallohelices : nanomolar potency and high selectivity. Chemical Science, 7 (2), pp. 951-958, View Li, Qiong, Cheng, Wang, Morlot, Cécile, Bai, Xiao-Hui, Jiang, Yong-Liang, Wang, Wenjia, Roper, David I., Vernet, Thierry, Dong, Yu-Hui, Chen, Yuxing, Zhou, Cong-Zhao. 2015. Full-length structure of the major autolysin LytA. Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography, 71 (6), pp. 1373-1381, View Zuegg, Johannes, Muldoon, Craig, Adamson, George, McKeveney, Declan, Thanh, Giang Le, Premraj, Rajaratnam, Becker, Bernd, Cheng, Mu, Elliott, Alysha G., Huang, Johnny X., Butler, Mark S., Bajaj, Megha, Seifert, Joachim, Singh, Latika, Galley, Nicola F., Roper, David I., Lloyd, Adrian J., Dowson, Christopher G., Cheng, Ting-Jen, Cheng, Wei-Chieh, Demon, Dieter, Meyer, Evelyne E., Meutermans, Wim, Cooper, M. A. (Matthew A.). 2015. Carbohydrate scaffolds as glycosyltransferase inhibitors with in vivo antibacterial activity. Nature Communications, 6, pp. 1-11, View Teo, Alvin, Roper, David I.. 2015. Core steps of membrane-bound peptidoglycan biosynthesis : recent advances, insight and opportunities. Antibiotics, 4 (4), pp. 495-520, View