1) Determination of the functional mechanisms of the transcriptional regulators HP1043 of Helicobacter pylori, its homolog CosR of Campylobacter jejuni, the metal-dependent regulators Fur and NikR, and others.
2) Characterization of bacterial small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of specific genes; integration and/or interference of different regulatory layers by the aforementioned regulators, which interact in a network and/or target shared genes to modulate bacterial gene expression in response to environmental stimuli.
3) Characterization of bacterial chromosome organization systems through bacterial proto-histones and the effects these structures have on gene expression.
4) Identification of new targets for the development of novel classes of antibiotics against major human pathogens (H. pylori and C. jejuni) and the development of new bacteriostatic and/or bactericidal molecules (both de novo and through drug repositioning).
5) Development of RNA-based drug delivery platforms targeting human cancer cells, employing appropriately engineered bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs).
