Validating fatty acid synthesis enzymes as targets for antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other Gram-negative bacteria.

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a serious global health threat. As bacteria develop resistance to current drugs, infections that were once easy to treat are once again becoming life-threatening. The World Health Organization (WHO) has drawn up a list of dangerous bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. Unfortunately, most antibiotics developed today are just minor modifications of old drugs - and bacteria quickly learn to resist them too. To solve this problem, we need to find completely new ways to attack bacteria. This means discovering new targets in the bacteria and developing antibiotics that can reach and kill them. This project aims to do just that. An international team of researchers is working together to: We focus on three types of harmful bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These are all so-called <> bacteria, which are particularly difficult to treat due to their structure. In the project, we will study two important enzymes that these bacteria use to make fatty acids - molecules they need to survive. Using different techniques, we will design and test new inhibitors that can block these enzymes. At the same time, we will investigate how these inhibitors get into the bacteria, so that we are sure that they actually reach their target. By combining chemistry, biology and drug design, this project will not only help us move forward on the path to finding new antibiotics - it will also provide valuable insight into how we can develop better antibiotics in the future.