From an Interest in Molecules to a Fascination with Microbes

My scientific career has followed a meandering path centered on the structures and functions of microbial metabolites. These microbes included bacteria, fungi, and single-celled eukaryotes, and the metabolites included representatives from most metabolite families—peptides, complex carbohydrates, and lipids. The journey began with an interest in the structural complexity of microbial toxins and in microbes as chemists, and it evolved into a fixation on microbial metabolites’ ability to reveal totally unexpected structure–function and host–guest relations and microbes’ ability to affect human health and disease. The results described in this manuscript illustrate the power of interdisciplinary collaborations, clearly defined and soluble questions, a skilled research team, and serendipity.