Novel small molecule inhibitors of MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis by NMR fragment screening of antigen 85C.

Protein target-based discovery of novel antibiotics has been largely unsuccessful despite rich genome information. Particularly in need are new antibiotics for tuberculosis, which kills 1.6 million people annually and shows a rapid increase in multiple-drug-resistant cases. By combining fragment-based drug discovery with early whole cell antibacterial screening, we discovered novel ligand-efficient inhibitors of multiple-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which bind to the substrate site of the Mtb protein antigen 85C, hitherto unused in Mtb chemotherapy.