Synthetic hope in MRSA fight
22 Mar 2005 by Evoluted New Media
A Professor of organic chemistry from the University of Sussex is developing a synthetic antibiotic he hopes he will help eradicate the hospital bug MRSA.
A Professor of organic chemistry from the University of Sussex is developing a synthetic antibiotic he hopes he will help eradicate the hospital bug MRSA.
Philip Parsons has devised a simple method to produce a synthetic version of a natural antibiotic, lactonamycin, which could be used to treat infected patients. “We know that lactonamycin, a naturally occurring antibiotic, can kill MRSA, but it has not been available as a drug therapy, partly due to its novelty and complexity,” explains Professor Parsons.
Naturally occurring chemicals, such as lactonamycin, often have complex molecular structures that make them difficult to synthesise. The process often involves several chemical steps. Professor Parsons has discovered a ‘one pot’ method called the cascade reaction, during which several chemical reactions take place at once.
“This is a very exciting discovery,” he said. “It will be important not just for producing lactonamycin, but for making other compounds, natural products and drug substances more efficiently.”
Professor Parsons has received a £280,000 grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) towards developing the antibiotic. lactonamycin, an extract of the bacteria Streptomyces rishiriensis, which is known to be effective against MRSA “We are looking at a simple way to synthesise the antibiotic and its components, which could also be highly effective in the fight against infection,” he said.
Further information Jacqui Bealing University of Sussex
j.a.bealing@sussex.ac.uk
