Medicinal Chemistry
The Wuest Lab engages in a number of collaborative projects with groups specializing in a wide range of expertise. Our medicinal chemistry endeavors aim to repurpose old drugs on novel targets and/or identify new compounds that use unique binding modes to inhibit validated targets. Alongside the Conn Lab, we used computational techniques to identify berberine conjugates targeting the MexXY-OprM efflux pump. With the Mylokanis group, we uncovered the antimicrobial effects and the safety profiles of synthetic retinoid analogs. Additionally, we have performed extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies for antibiotic compounds targeting succinate dehydrogenase (Sdh) and a protease repressor, LexA. Ongoing projects exploit the ever-expanding toolbox of chemical transformation methodologies to access and edit antimicrobial small molecules in a divergent manner.