Bacteria faces the constant pressure from bacteriophage to be killed. In a phage-bacteria arm race, the bacteria has developed a sophisticated defence system against the phage.

The aim of this project is to better understand how the bacteria defend against viral infection and how we can take advantage of the bacteria defence system to harness it as a gene editing technology. Using genetic, microbiology and molecular biology techniques, CRISPR/Cas effectors and accessory genes will be characterized to elucidate their function.