Development of novel ansamycin antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that someone dies from TB every 20 seconds, which is around 1.7 million people per year. There is a growing emergence of M.tb strains which are resistant to first and second line antibiotic treatments. The bacterium can hide in the body remaining dormant for long periods of time, and treatments can last up to one year. New antibiotics that are effective against drug resistant strains are urgently needed. Demuris, in collaboration with Newcastle University, has identified novel antibiotics that are similar to the first-line treatment for TB but, crucially, are active against multi-drug resistant strains. This project will allow us to make a series of closely related compounds, and test these for the range of properties needed for development as an anti-TB drug.