C10796: Novel Antimycobacterial Targets
Value Proposition: • Promising target for the development of new antibiotics. • Compounds that inhibit the growth of mycobacteria in culture. • Plasmids containing MetAP genes can be used to generate protein for anti-tuberculosis drug screening.
Technical Details:
Infectious diseases are the second leading cause of death world-wide, and the third leading cause of death in the United States of America. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains has imposed a pressing need for anti-mycobacterial agents with novel mechanisms of action. JHU scientists have taken a target-based approach to address this issue, by identifying and characterizing novel inhibitors of methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) from M. tuberculosis. They have identified that MtMetAP1a can serve as a target and the naphthoquinone-containing inhibitors can serve as leads for the development of new anti-TB agents.
Looking for Partners:
I. Methionine Aminopeptidase 1a and Methionine Aminopeptidase Ic from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. II. Potential drug candidates can be developed that target these enzymes using the identified inhibitors as leads.
Publications/Associated Cases: US 20120196852; PMC3165048
Olaleye O, et al (2010) Methionine aminopeptidases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis as novelantimycobacterial targets. Chem Biol. 17(1):86-97.
