How slowly‑binding antibiotic molecules change drug activity over time
Mechanism of Slow Onset Enzyme Inhibition and Translation to Time-Dependent Drug Activity
This project looks at how the speed that antibiotic drugs stick to and leave their bacterial targets affects how well those drugs work for people with bacterial infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stony Brook, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167583 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will measure how long candidate antibiotics remain attached to three key bacterial enzymes and how that affects killing bacteria in cell cultures and animal models. They will use structural biology and computer modeling together with enzyme kinetics to build rules linking molecular features to prolonged target binding. Chemists will make new inhibitors designed to stay engaged longer, and a mathematical model will predict time-dependent drug effects including the post-antibiotic effect. Results aim to connect lab measurements to how antibiotics behave in living systems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with bacterial infections caused by organisms targeted by these classes of antibiotics could be candidates for future clinical testing of drugs developed from this work.
Not a fit: People with viral infections, noninfectious conditions, or bacterial infections not targeted by these enzymes are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to antibiotics designed to remain effective longer in the body, potentially improving treatment of bacterial infections.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have shown that longer drug-target residence time can improve activity for some antibiotics, but applying these principles to new bacterial targets is still experimental.
Where this research is happening
Stony Brook, United States
- State University New York Stony Brook — Stony Brook, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tonge, Peter J — State University New York Stony Brook
- Study coordinator: Tonge, Peter J
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.