Project description
New inhibitors to restore beta-lactam antibiotic activity
Antimicrobial resistance, the ability of certain bacterial strains and fungi to defeat the drugs designed to kill them, poses a major public health threat worldwide. β-lactam antibiotics are the most widely-used group of antimicrobial agents for treatment of bacterial infections. However, their use and efficacy are jeopardised mainly by the production of β-lactamases, bacterial enzymes able to inactivate them. A novel pharmaceutical class of compounds, boronic acid transition state inhibitors (BATSIs), exhibit a promising potential as β-lactamase inhibitors aiming to prolong the therapeutically useful lifetime of β-lactams. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BLISS project will adopt a kinetic target-guided synthesis approach to discover new BATSIs that combat KPC-2, a clinically relevant serine β-lactamase.
Objective
Herein, kinetic-guided target synthesis (KTGS) will be used to discover novel boronic acids inhibitors of KPC-2, a clinically relevant serine beta-lactamase, with the aim to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and restore beta-lactams antibiotic activity. Boronic acids transition state inhibitors (BATSIs) have been extensively employed to inhibit beta-lactamases, a class of bacterial enzymes responsible for the most widespread mechanism of AMR against beta-lactam antibiotics. However, the structural variety characterizing the different types of beta-lactamases imposes the development of novel beta-lactamases inhibitors (BLIs). To fully exploit the potential of BATSIs as antibacterial agents and expedite the drug development process, KTGS will be used as a platform for drug discovery. KTGS is an innovative strategy where the biological target is employed to catalyze the synthesis of its own best effective inhibitors from a library of reagents. Triazole-based BATSIs, which have been reported to be potent and selective inhibitors of KPC-2, will be generated in a rapid and efficient way through KTGS (in situ click chemistry). Given the strong interaction between BATSIs and their targets, KPC-2 will be employed as scaffold for the formation of potent and selective 1,4-disubstitued triazole-based BATSIs, starting from azido boronic acid warheads and functionalized alkynes. In summary, this proposal seeks the development of novel BLIs drug candidates through the accomplishment of three objectives: 1) Investigation of KPC-2 as scaffold for in situ click chemistry and evaluation of the ability to generate triazole-based BATSI; 2) Discovery of novel inhibitors for KPC-2 using KTGS; 3) Identification of at least one highly active BATSI against clinically relevant beta-lactamases to be tested in vivo. To accomplish these specific objectives, the project will be divided in three main work packages, which will involve a combination of biological, chemical, and analytical skills
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
41121 MODENA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.