Photochemical 'in-air' combinatorial discovery of antimicrobial copolymers
Authors: Sarah-Jane Richards, Adam Jones, Ruben MF Thomás, Matthew I. Gibson
Summary:
There is an urgent need to identify new, non‐traditional antimicrobials. The discovery of new polymeric antimicrobials is limited by current low‐throughout synthetic tools meaning limited chemical space is explored. Here we employ photo‐chemical 'in‐air' RAFT polymerization with microwell plates, using liquid handling robots to assemble large libraries of cationic polymers, without the need for degassing or purification steps, facilitating transfer to screening. Several lead polymers are identified including a copolymer with propylene glycol side chains with significantly enhanced antimicrobial activity, and increased therapeutic window. Mechanistic studies showed this polymer was bacteriostatic and surprisingly did not lyse the cell membranes, implying an alternative mode of action. This versatile method, using simple robotics, will help develop new biomaterials with emergent properties.
Source: Chemistry - A European Journal, 2018
Summary:
There is an urgent need to identify new, non‐traditional antimicrobials. The discovery of new polymeric antimicrobials is limited by current low‐throughout synthetic tools meaning limited chemical space is explored. Here we employ photo‐chemical 'in‐air' RAFT polymerization with microwell plates, using liquid handling robots to assemble large libraries of cationic polymers, without the need for degassing or purification steps, facilitating transfer to screening. Several lead polymers are identified including a copolymer with propylene glycol side chains with significantly enhanced antimicrobial activity, and increased therapeutic window. Mechanistic studies showed this polymer was bacteriostatic and surprisingly did not lyse the cell membranes, implying an alternative mode of action. This versatile method, using simple robotics, will help develop new biomaterials with emergent properties.
Source: Chemistry - A European Journal, 2018