Helping antibiotics get into and stay inside hard-to-treat Gram-negative bacteria (like Acinetobacter)
Small-Molecule Penetration and Efflux in Gram-Negative Bacteria
This project builds lab and computer tools to help antibiotics enter and remain inside drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria so new medicines can better treat infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261192 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team is creating an experimental and computational platform called SPEAR-GN to study how small drug molecules cross the two membranes of Gram-negative bacteria and how bacterial pumps eject them. They will generate large laboratory datasets and chemical measurements and train machine-learning models to predict which compounds can penetrate and avoid efflux. The results will guide the design of new antibiotic compounds with whole-cell activity against pathogens such as A. baumannii. Work is laboratory- and computer-based at Memorial Sloan Kettering and does not provide direct patient treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (for example A. baumannii) are the eventual beneficiaries, although this grant does not currently offer clinical treatments.
Not a fit: People without Gram-negative bacterial infections or those needing immediate medical care will not directly benefit from this lab-focused research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could speed the discovery of antibiotics that work against drug-resistant Gram-negative infections.
How similar studies have performed: The investigators report prior proof-of-concept success with their platform, but converting biochemical hits into effective whole-cell antibiotics remains challenging and partly untested at scale.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tan, Derek S — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Tan, Derek S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.