Chromosome Packing Inhibitors for the Treatment of Eye Infections

Chromosome Packing Inhibitors for the Treatment of Eye Infections ABSTRACT Bacterial eye infections frequently arise as a complication of corrective surgery or contact lens use. Therapeutic treatment of such infections is often complicated by intrinsic and acquired drug resistant mechanisms, which eventually leads to irreversible eye damage and vision loss. Identification of antibacterial

compounds with a new mode of action could potentially alleviate this problem. This project seeks to evaluate condensin inhibitors for efficacy during ocular infections. Condensins play a central role in global chromosome organization and segregation and are required for virulence in diverse bacteria. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa,

condensins are integrated into the control of lifestyle and virulence and are required during eye infection. This project will investigate how the inhibition of condensins affects the interaction of P. aeruginosa with the host and examine the efficacy of the lead condensin inhibitor in an in vivo model of bacterial keratitis.