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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring Cytoskeletal Dynamics to Unveil Novel Antibiotics Through Innovative Cell-Based Assays
Published on: April 26, 2024
Recent contributions of structure-based drug design to the development of antibacterial compounds
Bart L Staker1, Garry W Buchko2, Peter J Myler3
1Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, United States; Center for Infectious Disease Research (formerly Seattle Biomedical Research Institute), 307 Westlake Ave N, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, United States.
Abstract:
According to a Pew Research study published in February 2015, there are 37 antibacterial programs currently in clinical trials in the United States. Protein structure-based methods for guiding small molecule design were used in at least 34 of these programs. Typically, this occurred at an early stage (drug discovery and/or lead optimization) prior to an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, although sometimes in retrospective studies to rationalize biological activity. Recognizing that structure-based methods are resource-intensive and often require specialized equipment and training, the NIAID has funded two Structural Genomics Centers to determine structures of infectious disease species proteins with the aim of supporting individual investigators' research programs with structural biology methods.
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