Dr. Bai has been committed to the research of microbial products, especially those of Streptomycetes origins. With the help of whole genome sequencing and transcriptomic analysis, he has been able to demonstrate the molecular mechanism of DasRABC-regulated biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides (EPSs), which is for the first time in this field. He has developed a genetically engineered Streptomyces strain with high yield of an EPS Ebosin. Furthermore, using synthetic biology approaches, e.g., functional element re-design, a series of novel sugar derivatives have been developed. In recent years, as the development of Bai’s Lab, his research interests have been expanded to the genome-guided discovery of novel peptide antibiotics, as well as the mechanism of their biosynthesis. For now, research interests can be divided into the following aspects:

1. Structural modification of Streptomycetes-origin natural products, e.g,. Ebosin and Nystatin, using synthetic biology approaches.

2. Rational design and utilization of key biosynthetic enzymes of microbial natural products.

3. Genome-guided discovery of novel peptide antibiotics and their biosynthetic modifications.