My name is Hoang Nam Nhat. I was born and raised in Viet Nam. I had studied a master course at the University of Toyama, where I had an opportunity to access much new knowledge. At present, I am a first-year Ph.D student in Professor Hiroyuki Morita laboratory, Section of Natural Product Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama. I see myself as an enthusiastic person who is always looking for a new challenge. Beside that, I also love swimming and archery which can help me to relax after hard-working time and to keep a good healthy life. In the future, I would like to apply for a postdoctoral at the University of Toyama, which could let me to continue my study.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a gram-negative bacterial that plays an important role as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. The treatment is difficult due to multi-drug resistance and the natural possession of metallo--lactamase and cephalosporins. Peptidoglycan is the main component of bacterial cell walls. Interestingly, the new pathway of peptidoglycan synthesis was found in S. maltophilia. In this pathway, SmltD catalyzes the condensation of UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala and L-Glu to form UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-L-Glu, and SmltE converts UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-L-Glu into UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu, providing the substrate for the subsequent synthesis of peptidoglycan. The discovery of natural inhibitor(s) of the SmltD/E might make an excellent platform for the development of anti-bacterial drug against S.maltophilia. Thus, this study aims to find such natural compounds from natural resources.（旧フェローシップ事業採択学生）