Titles

Isaac E. Emerson Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Program Chair of Chemical and Biological Discovery

Co-Director, Metallotherapeutics Research Center

Interim Co-chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

School Affiliation

School of Pharmacy

Specialties

• Antibiotic Resistance
• Metallotherapeutics

About

410-706-2537 awilks@rx.umaryland.edu

Dr. Wilks’ research interests focus on mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens acquire and utilize heme as an iron source. Her research spans disciplines employing bacterial genetics and metabolomics alongside biochemical and biophysical approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms by which pathogenic bacteria acquire heme. These studies have led to the structural characterization of several proteins involved in heme uptake and degradation and to the rational design of potential therapeutic agents that reduce virulence through global effects on iron metabolism. Dr. Wilks received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Lancaster, England. She received her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Leeds, where she worked on the mechanism of heme degradation with Professor Stanley B. Brown. After a postdoctoral fellowship with Professor Paul Ortiz de Montellano, she took an appointment as a research assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1998, she joined the faculty at the School of Pharmacy.

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Tagged: Research and Innovation  

This information was last updated January 9, 2024.