Understanding bacterial processes to improve human health.
Glycans are the most abundant biopolymers in nature and have immense structural complexity. As such, they are involved in virtually all physiological processes, such as protein folding, nutritional storage, adhesins, and receptors. Both pathogenic and commensal bacteria have evolved many different mechanisms to degrade glycans. Since glycan structures are so diverse and there are countless bacterial species present in nature, researchers have only begun to scratch the surface of how bacteria degrade complex carbohydrates.
The Higgins lab studies how bacteria degrade glycans from different environments. We are interested in the mechanisms by which specific commensal bacteria interact with host glycans in the gastrointestinal tract. We are also looking to identify new carbohydrate-active enzyme activities from diverse sources.