Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that resides harmlessly on the skin of healthy people. When the skin is broken, it can cause infection in the wound. Infection during surgical procedures or a severe skin infection can also lead to a blood stream infection known as sepsis. S. aureus has become resistant to a large class of antibiotics that are derived from the penicillins. These resistant bacteria are known as Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. The resistant bacteria can be treated with vancomycin, however vancomycin resistance has also emerged. Therefore, new medicines are needed to target these bacteria. This project involves the development of a drug that stops the bacteria from establishing itself in the wound. The small molecule specifically inhibits the interaction between a bacterial surface protein and a human protein that is exposed when the skin is broken (fibrinogen). The therapy therefore could be used to treat skin infections. The interaction with fibrinogen has also been shown to be important in the formation of small clots in sepsis. Therefore the same molecule may be of benefit to patients with S. aureus sepsis. This project aims to explore the mechanism of this compound further and investigate similar chemical compounds with a view to progressing them towards the clinic as therapeutics for skin infections and sepsis.
