Dr Indra Roux

Indra Roux studied Biotechnology at the National University of Quilmes (Argentina). Following her interest in microbial metabolism and synthetic biology, she obtained a PhD at The University of Western Australia (Australia) in 2021, with a subsequent postdoc. During her PhD she developed synthetic biology tools for natural product discovery in fungal species, including the first CRISPR-based activation toolkit for filamentous fungi. In 2022 she joined the MRC Toxicology Unit as a postdoctoral research associate at Kiran Patil’s lab.

I am fascinated by the vastly under-explored microbial metabolism, and how synthetic biology can help us investigate it and unlock its potential. At MRC Toxicology Unit, I aim to explore the mechanisms and genetic basis behind the interactions between gut microbes and xenobiotic compounds, as well as interspecies metabolic interactions. Xenobiotics present in medications, food or environmental pollutants can interact with bacteria and impact their growth and metabolism. On the other hand, xenobiotic compounds can also be metabolised or accumulated by bacteria. Advancing the molecular mechanisms behind these interactions is critical to predict the effects of xenobiotics in the microbiome of an individual and develop diagnostics and health solutions. To this end, I plan to expand the genetic and synthetic biology toolbox for under-explored gut bacteria, allowing us to interrogate them at a genome scale.