Interdisciplinary research to discover and develop novel biomedicines
| Dates: | 27 June 2016 |
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| Times: | 15:00 - 16:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Faculty of Life Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff |
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| Speaker: | Lingbing Kong |
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Despite tremendous efforts, only a few new antibiotics have been developed in the last 50 years. At the same time, resistant strains have emerged in increasing numbers of bacterial species. Bacterial drug resistance has become a global problem. Capsular polysaccharides (CPS) protect both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria from environmental challenges, which include immune attacks. Conserved CPS transporter Wza that translocates capsular polysaccharides from the periplasm to the extracellular environment in bacteria could be a novel antibacterial target. Interdisciplinary research on the Wza-CPS system and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core oligosaccharide has led to 1) the discovery of the first extracellular inhibitor of Wza (Nat. Chem. 2013, 5, 651-659); 2) the development of a novel antibacterial strategy by combined use of the Wza inhibitor and a glycol-conjugate vaccine candidate (Nat. Chem. 2016, 8, 242-249); and 3) recapitulation of the Wza-CPS export at the single-molecule level (Nat. Chem. 2016, 8, 461-469). Further interdisciplinary research will enable the discovery and development of more novel biomedicines.
Speaker
Lingbing Kong
Role: Dr
Organisation: Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford
Travel and Contact Information
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Lecture Theatre
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology - John Garside Building
Manchester
