Overview
Background
Overview
Professor Waldemar Vollmer is a microbiologist working on the structure and biogenesis of the bacterial cell wall in various model bacteria and a range of pathogenic and environmental bacteria. He is particularly interested in how bacteria enlarge their cell wall when they grow and divide, and how antibiotics inhibit cell wall synthesis to kill bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem that is predicted to claim 10 million lives annually by the year 2050 if no new antibiotics are developed. Currently the pipeline of antibiotic development is almost empty and mostly limited to slightly modified versions to existing antibiotics. Professor Vollmer addresses the problem of AMR by generating tailored assays for the development of novel antibiotics that target AMR bacteria.
Collaborations: Professor Vollmer collaborates world-wide with more than 50 researchers at top national and international institutions on cell wall topics in over 30 different bacteria. These topics include: structure and composition of the cell wall and its role in maintaining cell morphology; molecular mechanisms of cell envelope biogenesis; role of new cell wall modifying enzymes in the interaction of pathogenic bacteria with components of the immune system; mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and targeting of cell wall biogenesis by new antibiotics.
Funding and Publications: Professor Vollmer has been awarded more than $15 million funding from research councils and charities in Germany, UK, Europe and USA. He has published more than 200 articles in international journals and has been recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher in Microbiology.
Honours and Awards: Professor Vollmer has been elected to Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2014) and European Academy of Microbiology (2018). He received the annual Academic Distinction Awards from the Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University (2014), has been awarded a Distinguished Scientist Visiting Scholarships at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel, 2012) and a Visiting Professorship at the University of Cagliari (Italy, 2015), and won a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award (2014). He has co-organised the 2018 Gordon Conference (GRC) "Bacterial Cell Surfaces" (Mt Snow, USA) and the 2016 EMBO Workshop "Bacterial Cell Division: Orchestrating the Ring Cycle" (Prague, Czech Republic).
Short Biography: Prof Waldemar Vollmer has studied chemistry at the University of Applied Sciences in Reutlingen (Germany) and University of Basel (Switzerland). In 1998 he obtained a PhD degree (Dr.rer.nat.) from the University of Tübingen (Germany) for his work on cell wall synthesis in the model bacterium Escherichia coli undertaken at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. During his postdoctoral studies at the Rockefeller University (New York, USA) he discovered novel cell wall enzymes that are crucial for the virulence of the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoiae. In 2003 he was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Tübingen and moved 2007 to the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology at Newcastle University (UK), where he worked as Professor of Bacterial Biochemistry on various bacterial cell wall topics in a range of different bacteria. Since April 2023 he is Professorial Research Fellow and Group Leader at the Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland.
Availability
- Professor Waldemar Vollmer is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Research impacts
Professor Vollmer's basic research on the bacterial cell envelope has led to key advances in our understanding of bacterial cell function and has discovered molecular mechanisms that can be exploited for antibiotic development.
Key research outputs: Prof Vollmer's group has discovered mechanisms of PG biosynthesis and its regulation, novel cell wall enzymes, and mechanisms of coordination between PG synthesis and outer membrane biogenesis. These discoveries provided the first molecular insights into how bacteria robustly maintain, enlarge and modify their cell envelope when they propagate in diverse environments and under stress conditions, and when exposed to antibiotics.
Key capabilities: Prof Vollmer's group is expert in the analysis of the composition of peptidoglycan, the key shape-maintaining and stress-bearing component of the bacterial cell envelope. They also discover new cell wall enzymes and study the activities and interactions of of key cell wall synthases and hydrolases (lysins or autolysins). They are also expert in determining the cleavage site of cell wall-degrading lysins and establishing biochemical assays for cell wall enzymes, for studying their inhibition by antibiotics. They combine their molecular biology work with studies on the physiology of bacterial cells impaired in cell wall biogenesis.
Works
Search Professor Waldemar Vollmer’s works on UQ eSpace
2013
Journal Article
The physiology of bacterial cell division
Egan, Alexander J. F. and Vollmer, Waldemar (2013). The physiology of bacterial cell division. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1277 (1), 8-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06818.x
2012
Journal Article
Bacterial growth does require peptidoglycan hydrolases
Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Bacterial growth does require peptidoglycan hydrolases. Molecular Microbiology, 86 (5), 1031-1035. doi: 10.1111/mmi.12059
2012
Journal Article
Cooperativity of peptidoglycan synthases active in bacterial cell elongation
Banzhaf, Manuel, van Saparoea, Bart van den Berg, Terrak, Mohammed, Fraipont, Claudine, Egan, Alexander, Philippe, Jules, Zapun, Andre, Breukink, Eefjan, Martine Nguyen-Disteche, , den Blaauwen, Tanneke and Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Cooperativity of peptidoglycan synthases active in bacterial cell elongation. Molecular Microbiology, 85 (1), 179-194. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08103.x
2012
Journal Article
Attachment of capsular polysaccharide to the cell wall in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Eberhardt, Alice, Hoyland, Christopher N., Vollmer, Daniela, Bisle, Stephanie, Cleverley, Robert M., Johnsborg, Ola, Håvarstein, Leiv S., Lewis, Richard J. and Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Attachment of capsular polysaccharide to the cell wall in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Microbial Drug Resistance, 18 (3), 240-255. doi: 10.1089/mdr.2011.0232
2012
Journal Article
Structure of a Peptidoglycan Amidase Effector Targeted to Gram-Negative Bacteria by the Type VI Secretion System
Chou, Seemay, Bui, Nhat Khai, Russell, Alistair B., Lexa, Katrina W., Gardiner, Taylor E., LeRoux, Michele, Vollmer, Waldemar and Mougous, Joseph D. (2012). Structure of a Peptidoglycan Amidase Effector Targeted to Gram-Negative Bacteria by the Type VI Secretion System. Cell Reports, 1 (6), 656-664. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2012.05.016
2012
Journal Article
Osmolality-dependent relocation of penicillin-binding protein PBP2 to the division site in Caulobacter crescentus
Hocking, Jason, Priyadarshini, Richa, Takacs, Constantin N., Costa, Teresa, Dye, Natalie A., Shapiro, Lucy, Vollmer, Waldemar and Jacobs-Wagner, Christine (2012). Osmolality-dependent relocation of penicillin-binding protein PBP2 to the division site in Caulobacter crescentus. Journal of Bacteriology, 194 (12), 3116-3127. doi: 10.1128/JB.00260-12
2012
Journal Article
Biosynthesis of Teichoic Acids in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Closely Related Species: Lessons from Genomes
Denapaite, Dalia, Brueckner, Reinhold, Hakenbeck, Regine and Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Biosynthesis of Teichoic Acids in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Closely Related Species: Lessons from Genomes. Microbial Drug Resistance, 18 (3), 344-358. doi: 10.1089/mdr.2012.0026
2012
Journal Article
The membrane anchor of penicillin-binding protein PBP2a from Streptococcus pneumoniae influences peptidoglycan chain length
Helassa, Nordine, Vollmer, Waldemar, Breukink, Eefjan, Vernet, Thierry and Zapun, Andre (2012). The membrane anchor of penicillin-binding protein PBP2a from Streptococcus pneumoniae influences peptidoglycan chain length. Febs Journal, 279 (11), 2071-2081. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2012.08592.x
2012
Journal Article
A widespread bacterial type VI secretion effector superfamily identified using a heuristic approach
Russell, Alistair B., Singh, Pragya, Brittnacher, Mitchell, Bui, Nhat Khai, Hood, Rachel D., Carl, Mike A., Agnello, Danielle M., Schwarz, Sandra, Goodlett, David R., Vollmer, Waldemar and Mougous, Joseph D. (2012). A widespread bacterial type VI secretion effector superfamily identified using a heuristic approach. Cell Host and Microbe, 11 (5), 538-549. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.04.007
2012
Journal Article
Characterization of DalS, an ATP-binding Cassette Transporter for D-Alanine, and Its Role in Pathogenesis in Salmonella enterica
Osborne, Suzanne E., Tuinema, Brian R., Mok, Mac C. Y., Lau, Pui Sai, Bui, Nhat Khai, Tomljenovic-Berube, Ana M., Vollmer, Waldemar, Zhang, Kun, Junop, Murray and Coombes, Brian K. (2012). Characterization of DalS, an ATP-binding Cassette Transporter for D-Alanine, and Its Role in Pathogenesis in Salmonella enterica. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287 (19), 15242-15250. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M112.348227
2012
Journal Article
Multiple peptidoglycan modification networks modulate Helicobacter pylori's cell shape, motility, and colonization potential
Sycuro, Laura K., Wyckoff, Timna J., Biboy, Jacob, Born, Petra, Pincus, Zachary, Vollmer, Waldemar and Salama, Nina R. (2012). Multiple peptidoglycan modification networks modulate Helicobacter pylori's cell shape, motility, and colonization potential. PLoS Pathogens, 8 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002603
2012
Journal Article
Peptidoglycan-modifying enzyme pgp1 is required for helical cell shape and pathogenicity traits in Campylobacter jejuni
Frirdich, Emilisa, Biboy, Jacob, Adams, Calvin, Lee, Jooeun, Ellermeier, Jeremy, Gielda, Lindsay Davis, DiRita, Victor J., Girardin, Stephen E., Vollmer, Waldemar and Gaynor, Erin C. (2012). Peptidoglycan-modifying enzyme pgp1 is required for helical cell shape and pathogenicity traits in Campylobacter jejuni. PLoS Pathogens, 8 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002602
2012
Journal Article
Isolation and analysis of cell wall components from Streptococcus pneumoniae
Bui, Nhat Khai, Eberhardt, Alice, Vollmer, Daniela, Kern, Thomas, Bougault, Catherine, Tomasz, Alexander, Simorre, Jean-Pierre and Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Isolation and analysis of cell wall components from Streptococcus pneumoniae. Analytical Biochemistry, 421 (2), 657-666. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2011.11.026
2012
Journal Article
From the regulation of peptidoglycan synthesis to bacterial growth and morphology
Typas, Athanasios, Banzhaf, Manuel, Gross, Carol A. and Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). From the regulation of peptidoglycan synthesis to bacterial growth and morphology. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 10 (2), 123-136. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro2677
2012
Journal Article
Specialized Peptidoglycan Hydrolases Sculpt the Intra-bacterial Niche of Predatory Bdellovibrio and Increase Population Fitness
Lerner, Thomas R., Lovering, Andrew L., Nhat Khai Bui, , Uchida, Kaoru, Aizawa, Shin-Ichi, Vollmer, Waldemar and Sockett, R. Elizabeth (2012). Specialized Peptidoglycan Hydrolases Sculpt the Intra-bacterial Niche of Predatory Bdellovibrio and Increase Population Fitness. PLoS Pathogens, 8 (2), e1002524. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002524
2012
Journal Article
Identification of genetic determinants and enzymes involved with the amidation of glutamic acid residues in the peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus
Figueiredo, Teresa A., Sobral, Rita G., Ludovice, Ana Madalena, Feio de Almeida, Joao Manuel, Bui, Nhat K., Vollmer, Waldemar, de Lencastre, Herminia and Tomasz, Alexander (2012). Identification of genetic determinants and enzymes involved with the amidation of glutamic acid residues in the peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus. PLoS Pathogens, 8 (1), 1-13. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002508
2012
Journal Article
Bacterial outer membrane evolution via sporulation?
Vollmer, Waldemar (2012). Bacterial outer membrane evolution via sporulation?. Nature Chemical Biology, 8 (1), 14-18. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.748
2011
Journal Article
A widespread family of bacterial cell wall assembly proteins
Kawai, Yoshikazu, Marles-Wright, Jon, Cleverley, Robert M., Emmins, Robyn, Ishikawa, Shu, Kuwano, Masayoshi, Heinz, Nadja, Bui, Nhat Khai, Hoyland, Christopher N., Ogasawara, Naotake, Lewis, Richard J., Vollmer, Waldemar, Daniel, Richard A. and Errington, Jeff (2011). A widespread family of bacterial cell wall assembly proteins. EMBO Journal, 30 (24), 4931-4941. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2011.358
2011
Journal Article
Self-Resistance and Cell Wall Composition in the Glycopeptide Producer Amycolatopsis balhimycina
Schaeberle, Till F., Vollmer, Waldemar, Frasch, Hans-Joerg, Huettel, Stephan, Kulik, Andreas, Roettgen, Marlene, von Thaler, Anna-Katharina, Wohlleben, Wolfgang and Stegmann, Evi (2011). Self-Resistance and Cell Wall Composition in the Glycopeptide Producer Amycolatopsis balhimycina. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 55 (9), 4283-4289. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01372-10
2011
Journal Article
Type VI secretion delivers bacteriolytic effectors to target cells
Russell, Alistair B., Hood, Rachel D., Bui, Nhat Khai, LeRoux, Michele, Vollmer, Waldemar and Mougous, Joseph D. (2011). Type VI secretion delivers bacteriolytic effectors to target cells. Nature, 475 (7356), 343-347. doi: 10.1038/nature10244
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Waldemar Vollmer is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Novel assays for antibiotic discovery
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Rob Capon
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Doctor Philosophy
Dissecting the bacterial cell envelope for antibiotic drug discovery
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nicholas Ariotti, Professor Rob Capon
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Doctor Philosophy
Targeting bacterial cell envelope coordination for antibiotic drug discovery
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Brett Collins
Media
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