Plant Chemetics Laboratory
University of Oxford
Welcome to the Plant Chemetics Laboratory
The Plant Chemetics lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underpinning host manipulation by plant pathogens, with a particular focus on apoplast manipulation of Solanaceous plants by bacterial microbes. Our research activities also aim at improving molecular pharming of secreted (glyco)proteins through the depletion of immune responses and by removing secreted proteases. Unique is our approach to discover novel plant-pathogen interactions using structure predictions with AI and display protein activities by pioneering chemical proteomics using (re-) activity-based probes. Please contact us if you are interested to join or collaborate!
News
September 2026
NEW BBSRC grant for Victoria Armer with Gail Preston to investigate a novel arms race at the plant-pathogen interface.
September 2026
Diego Orzaez from Valencia has joined us for his sabbatical!
August 2026
Avoiding natural crosslinking in extracts of Nicotiana benthamiana ppo double mutants. See Zheng et al., New Phytologist.
July 2026
Cutting the ribbon! We are opening our brand-new, 42-bench laboratory suite for state-of-the-art research on plant pathogens in the Life-and-Mind Building.
July 2026
RD21 protease controls receptor homeostasis in Nicotiana benthamiana. See Godson et al., New Phytologist.
June 2026
NEW BBSRC grant for Joy Liu with Jason Rudd (Rothamstead) to use AI to discover novel interactions at the extracellular interface between wheat and Zymoseptoria!
January 2026
EpiC-Pain! pathogen-inspired enineering opf an immune protease of tomato. See Jie Huang et al. PNAS.
January 2026
Happy 2026! New year dinner at Somerville College. Looking back at an excellent 2025 and forward to an exciting 2026!
September 2025
Labretreat in Loddon, Norfolk! Great new ideas for exciting research for everyones future!
July 2025
Plenary talk at MPMI. Renier presents our research on apoplast manipulation by Pseudomonas syringae as a plenary speakler at the IS-MPMI conference in Cologne.
May 2026
Nora won the President's Award and presented her project as one of the first speakers at IS-PMF in Valencia!
May 2025
VIGS identifies genes that hamper transient expression. See Issy Dodds et al, Plant Biotechnology Journal.
May 2025
Viva Shivani! This excellent thesis was so much worth waiting for! Well done and congrats, Shivani