Dr Siva Sankari Iyer Mani Sankaran

I am a Postdoctoral research scientist in Dr. Graham walker's laboratory in the Department of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. I work on understanding the mechanism of action of plant peptides that govern host-microbe interactions and translating them to pharmacological, diagnostic, clinical, and agricultural applications. Using a variety of biochemical, bioanalytical, microbiological, and plant genetic techniques, I have unraveled the first detailed molecular mechanism of a heme-binding, symbiotically essential plant peptide that takes control of bacterial iron homeostasis and tricks the symbiotic bacterium into importing excess iron needed for nitrogen-fixation. Leveraging the unique heme-binding properties of the peptide, I have developed many potential therapeutic applications including inhibiting the growth of some heme-requiring pathogens and parasites, preventing the formation of fungal biofilms and removing toxic heme from stored blood.