ProfessorPaul Groundwater

Project Opportunities

Title: Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry - Project: Developing New Treatment Options for Infections Caused by Pathogenic Gram Negative Bacteria

Summary of opportunity:

This project would appeal to those with interests in pharmaceutical applications of medicinal chemistry.

Opportunity synopsis:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top global public health threats facing humanity; carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, which all feature in the top 10 of the WHO bacterial priority pathogens, are most commonly responsible for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). In low-to-middle income countries, HAIs are significant contributors to neonatal mortality and resistance to carbapenems in these pathogens results in limited treatment options. This project will take a novel approach to tackling AMR through the re-sensitization of these resistant pathogens to the carbapenems; we have identified clinically approved drugs and compounds generally regarded as safe which act as antibacterial resistance breakers by preventing the degradation of the drug by metallo-ß-lactamase enzymes. The project will investigate carbapenem-antibacterial resistance breaker combinations in a range of resistant Gram- negative bacterial strains.