Research Fellow

Email:

Phone: 024 765 74242

Research Groups

John McCarthy's webpage

Research Clusters

Quantitative, Systems & Engineering Biology

Current Research

My research focuses on understanding gene expression and how we can manipulate and create, if necessary, new metabolic pathways to produce relevant compounds. Our model organisms are yeasts. These unicellular microorganisms have been serving humans for thousands of years, leavening our breads and transforming cereals into beer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, probably the most famous among all yeasts, is our preferred model.

We also work in association with computational biologists. Together, we transform biological data into mathematical models that help us simplify the high complexity of yeast physiology in a way we can easily understand and predict their behaviour.

Broader interests and activities

My scientific experience has been primarily in the field of Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology. I have worked with various microorganisms, from the docile Escherichia coli to the unpredictable Rhodospirillum rubrum and have also undertaken projects with Magnetospirillum and Pseudomonas. Working with different bacteria has taught me that each new microorganism presents a challenge comparable to the first one.

I have had the opportunity to work with global regulators, such as CreC and PpaA from E. coli and R. rubrum, respectively. I characterized the effects these proteins had on the metabolism of each microorganism, particularly on the product I was trying to optimize (polyhydroxyalkanoates, succinate, pigments, etc.). I employed genomic and transcriptomic approaches in the case of PpaA to delve into the regulatory network that governed R. rubrum metabolism.