New antibiotic target

A highly conserved RNase

There is an urgent need for new classes of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Only three new classes of antibiotics have been discovered since 1962 resulting in the emergence of “superbugs” and “super-resistant superbugs”. This project has revealed a previously unknown, highly conserved RNase that plays multiple crucial cellular roles. High throughput in-vitro and in-vivo screens will be carried out to develop lead compounds that inhibit the target and could lead to the development of a new antibiotic. This project is investigating a protein called YbeY that plays a critical role in all bacteria.