Description:
Project ID: D2011-63
Novelty:
The disclosed invention is a simple and efficient high-throughput assay to screen small molecule drug and drug-like compounds for their effectiveness against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (M. tb) and other bacterium.
Value Proposition:
M. tb is a form of tuberculosis that is resistant to two or more of the primary drugs (e.g., isoniazid and rifampicin) currently used for its treatment. Extensive research is being carried out globally to find new drug molecules for the effective treatment of this disease, however until now it has been time consuming and costly to screen different drug molecules against this pathogen. The present invention addresses this challenge by providing an easy and affordable method to screen any drug molecule for its inhibition effects on the pathogen.
Invention description:
Researchers at The University of Toledo have invented this assay to screen Mycobacterium Tuberculosis-inhibiting drug molecules. Specifically, this protein-DNA complexation assay monitors binding of mycobacterial recombinant protein to a fluorescently-labeled DNA stem-loop. Data shows that a change in fluorescence polarization indicates protein-DNA complexation. An increase in polarization indicates complexation of the protein and DNA. If a compound that is capable of inhibiting this complexation is added to the sample, the polarization decreases to a value similar to that observed for the DNA alone.
Applications:
This technique can be used to screen compounds effective against mycobacterial bacterium in humans as well as domestic animals, not limited to the following: M. tb., M. avium-intracellulare, M. kansasii, M. fortuitum, M. chelonae, M. leprae, M. africanum, M. bovis, M. avium, M. microti, M. avium paratuberculosis, M. intracellulare, M. scrofulaceum, M. xenopi, M. marinnur, M. ulcerans; Corynebacterium (C.) diphtheria, C. pseudotuberculosis, C. renale, C. cystidis, C. pilosum, C. bovis, C. ulcerans, C. pseudotuberculosis (also known as C. ovis), C. pyogenes, A. haemolyticum, C. aquaticum, C. pseudodiphtheriticum (also known as C. hofmannii), C. urealyticum); and C. jeikeium.