Mannose metabolism in pathogenic microorganisms

由于私营部门和公共机构几十年来长期投资不足，目前对结核病和利什曼病的治疗正在失败。病原体，微生物利什曼原虫和结核分枝杆菌，分别使用不同于人类的糖加工途径，因此代表新药的靶点。我们将研究这些生物中两个相关的糖加工生化途径。我们将开发利用质谱法测量酶活性的新方法，以及克隆几种生物合成酶的新试剂。我们的工作将为对抗这些潜伏疾病的新抗生素奠定基础，并将促进澳大利亚在化学生物学和创新基础科学方面的专业知识。

Current treatments for tuberculosis and leishmaniasis are failing due to chronic underinvestment by the private sector and public agencies over many decades. The causative agents, the microorganisms Leishmania spp and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, respectively, use sugar processing pathways that differ from humans, and thus represent targets for new drugs. We will study two related sugar-processing biochemical pathways in these organisms. We will develop new ways to measure enzyme activity using mass spectrometry, and new reagents to clone several biosynthetic enzymes. Our work will lay a foundation for new antibiotics to combat these insidious diseases, and will foster Australian expertise in chemical biology and innovative basic science.