UA Little Rock Student Advances Antibiotic Research During Prestigious Summer Chemistry Program

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student took part in a highly competitive summer research program focused on organic chemistry, working to enhance the effectiveness of an experimental antibiotic.

Joshua Pack, a senior double majoring in chemistry and biology, completed the Snyder Scholars Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The research program supports undergraduate students with an interest in organic chemistry. Pack, a Donaghey Scholar from Fort Smith, is the first UA Little Rock student to be accepted to the Snyder Scholars.

"It was an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for any other summer internship," Pack said. "I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Brian Walker and Dr. Juliette Rivero for preparing me for an experience like this as well as to my mentor Jonny for making my stay as worthwhile as possible."

Over the course of 10 weeks, Pack worked under the mentorship of Dr. Jonny Quirke, a postdoctoral research associate, in the lab of Dr. Paul Hergenrother, who researches solutions to complex disease-driven problems. Pack worked on making derivatives of an experimental antibiotic to increase its efficacy against some of the deadliest bacterial pathogens.

"A recent report by the World Health Organization outlined a selection of 'critical' priority pathogens in urgent need of new treatment options, and all of them were Gram-negative bacteria in urgent need of new treatment options, and all of the pathogens were Gram-negative bacteria," Pack said. "The architecture of Gram-negative bacteria makes them especially challenging to treat, and one reason are the various efflux pumps embedded throughout their cell membranes. These pumps have broad substrate specificity and therefore expel most foreign matter from the bacteria.

This often includes antibiotics. The Hergenrother group is investigating how to circumvent this potent biological defense mechanism to more effectively treat bacterial infections."

At the end of the summer, Pack had the opportunity to present his research alongside his fellow Snyder Scholars.

"It was an incredible experience," he said. "The audience was primarily organic chemistry graduate students, so I not only gained useful feedback about the chemistry I was doing, but I also got to experience giving a presentation exclusively in front of experts in my field. A few faculty also stopped by, so I had the opportunity to talk with them about my research and goals."

The skills Pack gained from his summer research program will come in handy in the future. Once Pack graduates in the spring 2025 semester, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry, specializing in organic chemistry.

"It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least," Pack recalled. "Not only did it hone my skills as a synthetic chemist, but it also introduced me to new dimensions of the theory behind organic chemistry that I hadn't previously been exposed much to. Similarly, I gained a new perspective on graduate school and feel much more confident in applying to top programs across the country."