# Episode 56: Fighting Antibiotic Resistance with LC-MS: Targeting Bacterial Cell Walls #chromatography #massspec

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959/episode-56-fighting-antibiotic-resistance-with-lc-ms-targeting-bacterial-cell-walls-chromatography-massspec
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959/episode-56-fighting-antibiotic-resistance-with-lc-ms-targeting-bacterial-cell-walls-chromatography-massspec.md
Podcast: [Concentrating on Chromatography](https://stenobird.com/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959)
Published: 2026-04-13T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chromatography/episodes/Episode-56-Fighting-Antibiotic-Resistance-with-LC-MS-Targeting-Bacterial-Cell-Walls-chromatography-massspec-e3hisnn
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/fd632380/podcast/play/118108343/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-7%2F421607693-44100-2-231fe84a0d87b.m4a
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959/episodes/episode-56-fighting-antibiotic-resistance-with-lc-ms-targeting-bacterial-cell-walls-chromatography-massspec
Duration seconds: 1305

## Resource

In this episode of Concentrating on Chromatography, host Dave Oliva sits down with Chris Reid to explore how chemical biology and LC-MS are being used to tackle one of the most urgent global challenges: antimicrobial resistance.As antibiotic resistance continues to rise—and new drug development struggles to keep pace—researchers are looking beyond traditional approaches. Instead of targeting how bacteria build their cell walls, Chris’s work focuses on how they break them down, opening the door to entirely new antimicrobial strategies.--- 🔬 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:* Why antimicrobial resistance is accelerating globally* What peptidoglycan is and why it’s essential to bacterial survival* How targeting cell wall degradation differs from traditional antibiotics* The strategy behind designing small molecule probes and inhibitors* How LC-MS is used to analyze peptidoglycan fragments and enzyme activity* Key analytical challenges: complex mixtures, low-abundance species, and structural similarity* The importance of sample preparation and reproducibility in LC-MS workflows* How this research could lead to new antibiotic targets--- ⚗️ LC-MS in FocusThis episode dives deep into how LC-MS enables:* Detection of peptidoglycan fragment profiles* Analysis of cross-linking patterns via retention time and mass* Identification of structural changes using tandem mass spectrometryChris also shares practical insights on:* Sample prep challenges with insoluble biomaterials* Common pitfalls in LC-MS workflows* How to ensure consistent, reproducible data--- 🚀 Why This MattersWith bacteria rapidly evolving resistance to existing drugs, the need for new antimicrobial strategies has never been greater. This research highlights how combining chemistry, biology, and analytical science c…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959/episodes/episode-56-fighting-antibiotic-resistance-with-lc-ms-targeting-bacterial-cell-walls-chromatography-massspec/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography-7157959/episode-56-fighting-antibiotic-resistance-with-lc-ms-targeting-bacterial-cell-walls-chromatography-massspec.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.