Christina Spry

Christina Spry is a Fellow at The Australian National University, affiliated with the Research School of Biology. Her research focuses on antimicrobial drug discovery, particularly on understanding how microbes utilise essential nutrients and identifying novel inhibitors of these processes. Her work primarily explores the pathway by which pantothenate (vitamin B5) is metabolised to coenzyme A, with a focus on malaria and tuberculosis. She has worked with A/Prof Kevin Saliba and Prof Chris Abell, applying fragment-based approaches to drug discovery. Christina is based in the Saliba lab and continues her NHMRC Early Career Fellowship.

Christina Spry is a researcher at the Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, focusing on the development of antimalarial and antimicrobial agents through the exploration of coenzyme A biosynthesis pathways. Her work investigates the role of pantothenate kinase in Plasmodium falciparum and the potential of pantothenamides as therapeutic targets. She has published extensively on the structural modification of pantothenamides to enhance their antiplasmodial activity and the identification of novel inhibitors targeting metabolic pathways in pathogens. Her research also includes the study of feedback inhibition mechanisms and the design of stable, potent agents for antimalarial chemotherapy.