X-ray crystal structure analysis of phosphoglycerate kinase from gram-negative pathogens: validation of an anti-microbial drug target

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Indel Therapeutics Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia has established an industrial/academic collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Michael James at the University of Alberta. This collaboration will investigate a potential target identified by Indel's drug target identification platform for the development of new antimicrobials to fight drug resistance and hospital acquired infections. The James laboratory is a world leader in the field of structural biology using X-ray crystallographic techniques. It will produce highly purified target enzymes from several important oportunistic pathogens in order to determine the high resolution three dimensional structures of the target enzymes. Structure determination allows screening of compound libraries to identify potential inhibitors. Elucidation of enzyme target-inhibitor complex structures can validate Indel's predictions and allow structure-guided improvements to the lead inhibitor molecules. Increased potency and specificity will be monitored by measuring inhibition using in vitro enzyme activity assays. The societal benefit of this collaboration is that the work directly addresses the dire problem of antibiotic-resistant hospital acquired bacterial infections and the resulting economic impact to the Canadian health care system.