102868Dual-target tRNA synthetase inhibitors for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infectionsClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThis project aims to develop a new antibiotic for the treatment of serious bacterial infections. Many antibiotics have been developed in the past, but bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotic drugs, so new drugs are urgently needed. Protein production is a key requirement for any life form, including bacteria, and there is a family of twenty enzymes involved in the key step of combining amino acids with RNA prior to attaching the correct amino acid to the growing protein chain. A drug that stops one of these enzymes working weakens the bacteria, allowing them to be mopped up by the body's defences. However, bacteria can evolve resistance to such inhibitors, leading to a modified version of the enzyme that is no longer blocked by the drug. This project aims to develop inhibitors that target more than one member of the enzyme family. By interfering with protein production at two independent points in the process, the bacteria are forced to evolve mutations in their DNA coding for two separate enzymes. The chances of this happening successfully are a tiny fraction of the possibility of becoming resistant to one enzyme, greatly reducing the chance of resistance developing against the drug.