Research in the Aron laboratory focuses on the chemical biology of metals and metal-binding molecules in microbial systems. We develop and apply mass spectrometry-based methods to discover and characterize new metal-binding molecules that mediate microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. Our research touches on the three main questions with regards to metal binding molecules (1) what are they? (2) what do they do? (3) how do they affect us?
What are they?
We develop metabolomic and proteomic methods and strategies to discover novel metal binding molecules from diverse microbiomes.
What do they do?
We seek to understand how metal-binding molecules mediate microbial interactions by acting as shared goods, serving as signaling molecules, or playing other roles.
How do they affect us?
We want to understand how metal-binding molecules and other microbial metabolites mediate host metal homeostasis