Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting Clostridioides Difficile Sporulation

Advantages:

The development of DBO compounds represents a novel therapeutic approach to tackling CDI.
By inhibiting C. difficile sporulation, DBO compounds address a major cause of CDI recurrence, reducing the likelihood of patients experiencing repeated infections.
DBO compounds improve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics used to treat CDI, potentially leading to higher cure rates and shorter recovery times for patients.

Summary:

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial infection. The current treatment options of CDI include metronidazole, vancomycin, and fidaxomicin, but these drugs are plagued by high CDI recurrence rates. The major reason for the high recurrence rate is C. difficile spores, which are the main vehicle of transmission, and are resistant to harsh environment conditions and antibiotics.

Our researchers developed small molecules, diazabicyclooctane (DBO) compounds, that inhibit peptidoglycan peptidases and subsequently prevent C. difficile sporulation. Such compounds can be used to reduce the recurrence of C. difficile infection while improving the efficacy of the antibiotics.