Chemical Genetics:
Identifying Novel Bioactivated Drug Leads Against Multiple Human Infectious Diseases
This project is a collaboration with the lab of Peter Roy at the Donnelly Centre
People
Jessica Lacoste
Infectious and parasitic diseases represent a major cause of mortality in humans and livestock. To combat infections from pathogens and parasites, we are conducting a revolutionary drug screen that harnesses the power of cytochrome P450.
The cytochrome P450 superfamily (CYPs) are a family of enzymes that metabolize drugs and other xenobiotics. CYPs can convert biologically inert drugs and xenobiotics into bioactive products. CYPs are found throughout nature; thousands of different CYPs have been identified for microbes and humans have 57 different CYPs in our genome. To find drugs that can kill pathogens, we will conduct a screen that looks for drugs that are metabolized by the CYPs of pathogens into lethal products but are untouched by the CYPs of human cells, leaving them biologically inert.
Thus, the drugs we aim to discover would kill pathogens while leaving human tissue and cells unharmed. This project has the potential to yield dozens of new drugs that can be further developed into new medicines that are urgently needed.
