Strong early data on Prolysis' MRSA drugs

A new class of drugs that kill methcillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been discovered and could form the basis of novel treatments to fight the infection, according to research published in a recent issue of the journal Science.

Scientists from Prolysis, a UK drug discovery firm, have created a class of drugs that selectively block the action of a protein called FtsZ that bacteria need in order to grow.

Lloyd Czaplewski, director of research at Prolysis, said: "by targeting this specific and essential bacterial protein, we have developed a class of drugs with a novel mechanism of action and the potential to treat MRSA and similar infections. Partnered with rapid diagnostics, it might also be used to prevent many of these infections in our hospitals and care homes." The research conducted by the Oxford-based company was supported by the Wellcome Trust through its Seeding Drug Discovery program, and by a LINK grant in applied genomics from the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the former Department of Trade and Industry, now DIUS, as well as investors in Prolysis.