Dr Katherine Duncan
banner
kateduncan.bsky.social
Dr Katherine Duncan
@kateduncan.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer, Newcastle Uni UK

We study the chemical language of bacteria (& what influences it) for antibiotic discovery

http://www.medicinesfromthesea.com

Editor Microbiology, Young Academy of Scotland, SAB RSC NatProdRep & EAB ACS JNatProd
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
‼️Research update - the last-resort 💊antibiotic daptomycin attacks🧫bacteria through two independent mechanisms & IM30 protein LiaH helps remodel membranes under stress. Great work by @henrikstrahl.bsky.social & @jbuttresssci.bsky.social @newcastleuni.bsky.social team
#microsky #BBSRC #sLoLa ⬇️
Now properly published at @natcomms.nature.com with few additional experiments incl. demonstration of Daptomycin's ability to depolarise non-growing cells.
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
November 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
High-throughput DNA extraction from soil: experiences? best kits? best tools? If you had a decent chunk of money to throw at it, what system would you set up to make it fast and high quality? 🌾 🧪 🔬 🦠
November 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Bacteriologists - save the date for the next BacNet meeting in September 2026 #BacNet26 organised by @lalouxlab.bsky.social
Bacterial networks #BacNet26 in September 2026 will be chaired by @lalouxlab.bsky.social and co-chaired by @s-lab.bsky.social with @coralietesseur.bsky.social

Sneak peak on invited speakers and preliminary program:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bac...
November 20, 2025 at 8:58 AM
As part of the WHO World AMR Awareness Week a group of engaged undergraduate students, led by Eloise Nelson, have organised a @microbiologysociety.org sponsored seminars:
Dr Ishwar Singh (University of Liverpool) & Dr Tom Hellyer (Newcastle University) @medicalsciencesncl.bsky.social #antibiotics
November 20, 2025 at 3:25 PM
First snow of the year - love it!
November 20, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Congratulations to Dr Adam Hunt for a very successful PhD defense! Adam was supervised at the University of Warwick by Dr Lona Allhalaf, Prof Greg Challis and Prof Chris Corre (internal examiner Dr Fabrizio Alberti) ✨🎄🎓🥂 #naturalproducts #streptomyces
November 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
🚨 PhD opportunity! 🚨
Join us at St Andrews to study how multiple prophages shape bacterial behaviour & AMR.
Co-supervised with @tatianadimitriu.bsky.social
This is a competition-based EASTBIO PhD.
Full details and the application link are in the advert 👇
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
EASTBIO: When Phages Collide: Understanding How Multiple Prophages Shape Bacterial Behaviour at University of St Andrews on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - EASTBIO: When Phages Collide: Understanding How Multiple Prophages Shape Bacterial Behaviour at University of St Andrews, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Theres still time to apply for our PhD project on UPEC/immune cell interactions. Deadline December 4th
If you are interested in researching how drug resistant bacteria evade killing by our immune system, them this PhD project is for you. Come join the our team at Newcastle, in collaboration with University of Liverpool, and lead research at the interface of microbiology, immunology and metabolomics.
MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership: Hiding in plain sight: How multi-drug resistant pathogens evade detection and killing by human neutrophils at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership: Hiding in plain sight: How multi-drug resistant pathogens evade detection and killing by human neutrophils at Newcastle University, listed on Fin...
www.findaphd.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:22 PM
The walk home
November 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
‘The latest surveillance data found that the number of antibiotic-resistant infections in 2024 equated to an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases a week.’
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs rose 17% in England in 2024
Data also shows an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases of antibiotic-resistant infections a week last year
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
📣 Calling all senior microbiology postdocs! The University of St Andrews is inviting applications from outstanding visionary Research Fellow and Future Leader candidates to attend a Biomolecular Science Fellowship Day. Applications due by 12th Dec, see link for full details: tinyurl.com/4n3na8vn
Exciting Opportunity: Biomolecular Science Fellowship Day
The School of Biology at the University of St Andrews is inviting applications from outstanding visionary Research Fellow and Future Leader candidates to attend the Biomolecular Science (BMS) Fello…
biology.st-andrews.ac.uk
November 5, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
New paper alert! DNA replication and repair conflicts lead to cell death in gram positive bacteria, possible new targets for novel antimicrobials.
@microbiologysociety.org @winterhalterlab.bsky.social www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Conflicts between the DNA replication and repair machineries promote cell death in Gram-positive bacteria
Cellular proliferation relies on the successful coordination and completion of genome replication and segregation. To help achieve this, many bacteria utilize regulatory pathways that ensure DNA repli...
www.microbiologyresearch.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Brilliant to have Prof Malcolm White from the University of St Andrews giving a Newcastle University Biosciences Institute seminar (hosted by @heathmurraylab.bsky.social) #microbiology #phage #bacteriology
November 12, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
EVENT - Apply today for the John Innes/Rudjer Bošković: Applied #Molecular #Microbiology Summer School (Microbial Specialised Metabolites: Discovery, Biosynthesis and Function)

🗓️ 12 - 20 Sept 2026

📍Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Deadline: 23 Jan 2026

www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
Applied Molecular Microbiology | John Innes Centre
John Innes/Rudjer Bošković – Summer Schools in Applied Molecular Microbiology Applications are invited for a summer school on Microbial Specialised Metabolites: Discovery…
www.jic.ac.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Genome-Mining Based Discovery of Pyrrolomycin K and L from the Termite-Associated Micromonospora sp. RB23 | Journal of Natural Products pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Genome-Mining Based Discovery of Pyrrolomycin K and L from the Termite-Associated Micromonospora sp. RB23
Natural products derived from symbiotic microbes remain a rich source of structurally diverse and bioactive molecules. In this study, we report de novo genome sequencing of the termite-associated iso...
pubs.acs.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
We are incredibly lucky 🤗

We also love sharing this space and keep a benchtop with a ✨view✨ open for visiting collaborators and students.
November 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Please RT. Post-doc opportunity alert! 💥 closing 10th December.. Come join our team (www.thelowlab.org) at Imperial, London, working on the structure and mechanism of bacterial secretion systems.

For more details and to apply please see

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
November 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
We are very much looking forward to the Grand Opening of the Northern Eye Imaging facility tomorrow!

Follow us here for all the news coming from NUSBF!
November 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Molecules to medicine: advances in metabolomics for natural product drug discovery by Victoria Deleray,
Pieter C Dorrestein & Nicole E Avalon
#naturalproducts #secmet #metabolomics
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Molecules to medicine: advances in metabolomics for natural product drug discovery
Recent advances in metabolomics are accelerating natural product (NP) drug discovery. NPs possess diverse biological relevance and comprise a signific…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Come and join us!
November 4, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Looking for a PhD opportunity in Microbiology? Consider joining one of the UK's leading microbiology research clusters at Newcastle University. See the thread for MRC DTP studentships currently advertised. @medicalsciencesncl.bsky.social @sagencl.bsky.social @cbcb-newcastle.bsky.social #microsky
November 4, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by Dr Katherine Duncan
Interested in microbial sensing, signaling and regulation? Don’t miss the 2026 GRC! Submit your abstract to be considered for a short talk! I hope to see you in sunny Ventura in January! www.grc.org/sensory-tran...
2026 Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms will be held in Ventura, California. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:09 AM