With the increase in the number of pathogens displaying resistance to conventional antibiotics new tools are urgently required. To address this, the GibsonGroup have been developing polymers which specifcally target the toxins (which cause all the physical symptons) secreted by pathogenic bacteria with the aim of neutralizing them. This route does not kill the bacteria and hence should not apply evolutionary pressure, and hence not induce resistance. In this work, glycopolymers which are highly specific have been demonstrated - nearly all previous reports of glycopolymers only demonstrate affinity, but for real-world applications, these must be highly selective to reduce side-effects and to maximise efficacy. This work was conducted in collaboration with the Haddleton Group.

Read the paper here in Chemical Science. Glycopolymers with secondary binding motifs mimic glycan branching and display bacterial lectin selectivity in addition to affinity