Development of Anti-Tuberculosis Agents by using NMR-Fragment-Based and Virtual Screening

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious debilitating disease affecting a third of the world`s population in both developed and underdeveloped countries. The disease kills more than 1.5 million people worldwide every year. TB is caused by a microorganism known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We develop molecules to inhibit the central metabolic pathways in Mtb microorganism and thereby to halt active Mtb infection. These molecules will then be developed into more potent inhibitors using medicinal chemistry. I will present two innovative aspects of our studies: 1) development of anti-bacterial agents that target replisomes and ribosomes of Mtb; and 2) our new approach for the development of antibacterial agents, which combines tools from different disciplines in drug development.