ProfessorPeter Rutledge

Antibiotics Chemistry: The rise and rise of Superbugs is well documented in the media, and stories documenting antimicrobial resistance, superbug outbreaks, and a 'worryingly thin pipeline of new drugs' appear regularly in news reports. Bacteria that are resistant to (i.e. not killed by) most current antibiotics are increasingly widespread, and the need for new drugs and new strategies to combat them grows ever more important. We are widely interested in antibiotics chemistry and antibiotic biosynthesis, and are looking at a number of ways to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria. Our rurrent approaches include the synthesis of new cyclobutanone antibiotics and betalactamase inhibitors, the directed evolution of new enzymes for antibiotic biosynthesis, design and synthesis of bacterial-targetting PROTACs, and the design of antibiotics with 'double-punch' and 'resistance-activated' modes of action.

 

Open Source Antifungals: Eumycetoma is a neglected tropical disease that disproportionately impacts people in the developing world. As part of the Open Source Mycetoma consortium (MycetOS), we work with partners around the world including the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and academic collaborators in London and Rotterdam to develop new drugs that combat mycetoma.

 

Learning By Doing: A collaborative approach to engaging young people with science through citizen science in schools. Working in partnership with colleagues in education and ecology, we are exploring how best to embed citizen science in curriculum. You can read more about this work - and how you can get involved - on our dedicated Learning by Doing website. 

 

For further details on all of these areas, please visit http://sydney.edu.au/science/chemistry/~rutledge/

 

Peter's research aligns with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths - Molecules to Materials, Cultivating Scientific Capability, Preventing and Treating Disease & Disorder.

 

Peter is a member of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID), the Charles Perkins Centre (CPC), and Sydney Nano.