Multi-Institution Research and Education Collaboration Identifies New Antimicrobial Compounds.

New antibiotics are urgently needed to address increasing rates of multidrug resistant infections. Seventy-six diversely functionalized compounds, comprising five structural scaffolds, were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit microbial growth. Twenty-six compounds showed activity in the primary phenotypic screen at the Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (CO-ADD).

Discovery and Optimization of Triazine Nitrile Inhibitors of Cathepsin L for the Potential Treatment of Chronic Toxoplasmosis in the CNS.

With roughly 2 billion people infected, the neurotropic protozoan remains one of the most pervasive and infectious parasites. infection is the second leading cause of death due to foodborne illness in the United States, causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients, and is correlated with several cognitive and neurological disorders. Currently, no therapies exist that are capable of eliminating the persistent infection in the central nervous system (CNS).