Please join Yale Chemistry for an organic chemistry seminar with Andrew Lowell, Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Summary: More than 200 million antibiotic prescriptions are dispensed annually in the US, with the vast majority derived from semisynthetic modifications of natural products. As antimicrobial resistance continues to rise (>1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019), the need for novel antibiotic development is critical, particularly in the absence of reliable new antimicrobial discovery. Our team addresses this challenge by using structure-based and computer-aided drug design to rationally modify natural products, focusing on three key areas: 1) refining established antibiotics, 2) developing forgotten antimicrobials into viable treatments, and 3) designing bidentate antibiotics that engage multiple binding sites simultaneously to enhance potency and reduce resistance potential. Together, these strategies provide a foundation for improving existing antibiotics and developing entirely new therapeutics from forgotten natural products. The most promising compounds are undergoing further derivatization and computational refinement, with a key focus on integrating them into the design of bidentate antibiotics to suppress resistance and enhance potency. Top candidates are advancing to animal model testing against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, with the long-term goal of expanding the chemical space available for new antibiotic development. More information on Prof. Lowell's research can be found here: https://lowell.chem.vt.edu/.
Faculty Host: Seth Herzon. This seminar is generously sponsored by the Mrs. Hepsa Ely Silliman Memorial Fund.
