Many of the classes of antibiotics in current use were revealed by screening of fermentation broths in the era circa 1940-1960, considered to be a golden age in the discovery of antibiotics. Since then new antibiotics have been developed mainly by the process of semi-synthesis, where natural (fermentation) products are modified by chemical synthesis. Many important therapeutic agents have arisen by semi-synthesis and no doubt many more remain to be discovered in this way, but the process is inherently limited. This lecture will focus on the development of new platforms for the discovery of antibiotics by applying the power of convergent chemical synthesis, providing readily modifiable scaffolds that were previously inaccessible by any other means.

Bringing the full power of chemical synthesis to bear on the discovery of new antibiotics

245th National Meeting (2013)

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