With the rise of multi-resistant bacteria, the need for novel antibiotics is increasingly urgent.  Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a hallmark antigen that coats the cell surface of most Gram-negative bacteria. The LPS transport (Lpt) machinery, which transports LPS across the periplasm to the outer membrane, is a novel target for a new class of antibiotics.

 

Thanatin, a natural antimicrobial peptide, disrupts the binding interfaces of Lpt proteins, ultimately functioning as a bactericidal agent. In collaboration with Polyphor, we are interested in the characterization of thanatin-like drug candidates using solution NMR and biophysical methods to determine their pharmacological properties.