Antimicrobial Drug Discovery
Early drug development targeting drug receptors that are significant in infectious diseases, with a focus on bacteria and viruses prioritized by the WHO.
Research Description
Antimicrobial drugs are a central part of modern medicine, enabling the treatment of infections and reducing the risk of serious complications during various medical procedures. Due to increased antimicrobial resistance and the constant threat from new pathogens, we must continue to develop new innovative drugs. Our group contributes to both antibiotic discovery and antiviral drug discovery. The department also has leading roles in major European consortia focused on antibiotic discovery (ENABLE-2 and COMBINE).
Antibiotic Discovery
In our work, we focus on identifying new chemical classes of antibiotics that interact with untested bacterial target proteins. We primarily work with structure-based drug design and screening of chemical libraries. A range of target proteins have been explored in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as in mycobacteria. We work early in the drug discovery process with the aim of replenishing the relatively empty antibiotic pipeline.
Antiviral Drug Development
We have also placed significant emphasis on the discovery of antiviral drugs. In this area, we have targeted several different viral pathogens, including hepatitis C, Zika, and coronaviruses, as well as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), primarily through the development of protease inhibitors. For example, we have developed new drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2, in collaboration with the SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development platform.