Christopher Reid is a professor of biological and biomedical sciences at Bryant University and is working on innovative solutions for bacterial and fungal infections. In June, Reid and his students presented their research at the 2023 Northeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society and at the New England Glyco-Chemistry Meeting at Brandeis University.
Reid’s patent-pending antibiotic and fungicide developments have garnered attention for their potential to revolutionize patient care.
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PBN: As you and your students present your research at conferences such as NERM 2023 and the New England Glyco-Chemistry Meeting, what key findings or projects are you showcasing and how do they contribute to the field of antimicrobial solutions?
REID: At conferences, students and research associates present findings on how our antimicrobial halts bacterial growth, how the protein our antimicrobial targets functions in the cell, and how its loss of function interacts with other pathways in the cell. These studies provide new basic knowledge on how bacteria grow and divide, and further our research into targeting these pathways for antimicrobial development.
Our lab is interested in enzymes that degrade or remodel the structural carbohydrates that make up the cell walls of bacteria and fungi. These enzymes can be difficult to study as the methods for measuring their activity [are] cumbersome with poor sensitivity and generally not amenable to drug discovery efforts.
At these conferences, students present new methods we are developing for studying enzymes that degrade and remodel fungal cell walls. Our efforts to create new methods facilitate our long-term drug discovery goals in the lab.
PBN: Could you provide an overview of your patent-pending antibiotic that targets streptococcus and explain how it could revolutionize the fight against life-threatening bacterial infections?
REID: Our patented antimicrobial masarimycin inhibits streptococcus species and shows a very low incidence of resistance development, a promising property for any new antimicrobial. There is a need for the development of new antimicrobials that target previously overlooked pathways in the bacterial cell. The majority of newly approved antimicrobials either are modifications to long-existing antibiotic families or are formulations to overcome resistance issues.
Our compound masarimycin targets the cell wall of bacteria, but unlike existing antibiotics that interfere with the building of the cell wall (think penicillins), our compound targets the breakdown of the cell wall and prevents new material from being properly incorporated.
Masarimycin was our first proof of concept that you can inhibit these proteins in the bacterial cell and halt cell growth. We now have several promising leads against a range of important and emerging pathogens.
PBN: Can you discuss any specific applications or industries that could benefit from the development of your novel antibiotic and fungicide?
REID: We are exploring both human and veterinary applications for our antimicrobials. In the veterinary space, we are looking at livestock pathogens that are a significant burden to the agricultural industry and have issues with increasing antibiotic resistance.
In human health, we are looking at markets where pneumonia vaccine uptake is low and antibiotic-resistant bacterial pneumonia infections are high.
PBN: Bryant gets a lot of attention for its business programs, not so much for its scientific research. How did you end up at Bryant?
REID: Before arriving at Bryant, I was employed at the National Research Council [Canada] in Ottawa, in the human therapeutics directorate working on vaccine and antimicrobial discovery research. My contract was expiring, and I was looking for a position where I could continue my research. I landed at Bryant in the summer of 2010 and the rest is history.
PBN: Can you describe the university’s laboratory facilities and how the collaborative network that is available has assisted your projects?
REID: Over my 13 years at Bryant, we have built capacity for organic synthesis and instrumentation for biochemical and chemical analysis. Our lab is biohazard level 2 certified and capable of culturing air-tolerant and air-intolerant organisms for facilitating our antimicrobial discovery research.
Given the small size of Rhode Island, I have built several strong collaborations around the state (Brown University, Providence College, University of Rhode Island). In addition, the core facilities provided by the RI-INBRE [Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence] and RI-EPSCoR [Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research] (C-AIM) networks provide access to high-end instrumentation to further our research.
