Mechanistic details of key membrane enzymes for antimicrobial discovery
Official title: Mechanistic details of key integral membrane enzymes for antimicrobial discovery
Funded at California Institute of Technology · NIH-11368752 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project at Caltech aims to uncover how two bacterial enzymes work and how to block them with new medicines for infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $485,062 |
| NIH project number | 2R01GM114611-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11368752 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable for this non-patient-facing grant here.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient participation is required for this grant.
What this research studies
Researchers will study MraY and MurG, essential enzymes in building bacterial cell walls, using detailed structural and biochemical methods. They will map how inhibitors interact with the enzymes, test both nucleoside and non-nucleoside inhibitors, and use cryo-EM to see exactly how these drugs block the enzymes. The work includes optimizing lead compounds and exploring how these mechanisms can lead to new antibiotics that bacteria have not yet resisted. The effort builds on prior methods to reconstitute proteins, measure activity, and visualize structures at high resolution.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide the development of new antibiotics that target key bacterial enzymes, potentially improving treatment options for resistant infections.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown that structural and biochemical insights can drive design of potent inhibitors against bacterial enzymes.
Where this research is happening
-
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Clemons, William M. — California Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Clemons, William M.
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.