Chemical Biology of Infectious Disease

PROJECT SUMMARY The development of new chemotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of infectious disease is, by acclamation, one of the preeminent challenges of modern biomedical science. Contributing causes include the emergence of organisms resistant to existing therapies, the reemergence of infectious agents once thought vanquished, and the spread of infectious diseases lacking effective treatments. Confronting these public health challenges requires coordinated and comprehensive efforts from nearly every relevant area of biomedical science from microbiology to pharmacology to medicinal chemistry. This Phase II proposal is designed to strengthen and enhance the investments and infrastructure established in Phase I for the Center for Chemical Biology of Infectious Diseases (CBID). This will be accomplished through thorough selection and successful mentoring of Research Project investigators, enabling research opportunities and access to core resources through Pilot Project support, recruitment of outstanding new faculty scientists, and substantially increasing the user base of Research Core facilities with a focus on long-term sustainability. Together, the CBID Center will continue to address critical gaps and enable researchers at the University of Kansas (KU) and associated institutions to apply these tools to better understand and potentially prevent infectious diseases.