🇸🇬 Frederick Reinhart Tanoto

Frederick Reinhart Tanoto

B.Sc. (Hons) Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University
PhD Student
FRED0016 [at] e.ntu.edu.sg



Frederick graduated from NTU School of Biological Sciences in 2021 with a second major in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology. Driven by his interest in drug discovery and combating antibiotic resistance, Frederick was involved in various undergraduate research opportunities, publishing on the kinetics of the mycobacterial indirect aminoacylation pathway and interning at the Experimental Drug Development Centre in A*STAR. He first joined Kline Lab as a Final Year Project student, investigating the intracellular persistence of E. faecalis in macrophages, and will be continuing his project as a PhD student.

 

Outside of the lab, Frederick is always on the lookout to learn new languages (4 languages and counting!). He also enjoys exploring new hobbies in his spare time, such as calligraphy and board games, and appreciates a good cup of specialty coffee.


Despite being one of the most commonly isolated wound-associated pathogen, the mechanisms of Enterococcus faecalis pathogenesis and persistence in wounds are still largely elusive. Frederick aims to understand both the host and pathogenic processes involved during wound infection and persistence, using a combination of molecular and cell biology techniques as well as established mouse models of infection. He hopes that the knowledge of such host-pathogen interactions can eventually be translated to novel antimicrobial therapies against increasingly resistant bacteria.

1. Enterococcus faecalis alters endo-lysosomal trafficking to replicate and persist within mammalian cells. da Silva RAG, Tay WH, Ho FK, Tanoto FR, Chong KKL, Choo PY,
Ludwig A, Kline KA; PLoS Pathog 18, e1010434. (2022).
2. LC‐MS assay targeting the mycobacterial indirect aminoacylation pathway uncovers glutaminase activities of the nondiscriminating aspartyl‐synthetase. Chew BLA, Tanoto FR, Luo D; FEBS Letters (2020).