MSc Scholarship in Bioorganic Chemistry Canada 1606 views

MSc Scholarship is available in Bioorganic Chemistry in Canada to development of broad-spectrum antibiotic agents against Gram-negative bacteria. 3-Deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid (Kdo) is a sugar avaliable in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria. Kdo is an essential structural constituent for cell viability and membrane integrity of bacteria.

Thus, inhibiting specific enzymes involved in Kdo biosynthesis stands as a encouraging target for the development of broad spectrum antibiotics. Our group is looking in developing novel Kdo transferases and cytidine monophosphate (CMP)-Kdo synthases inhibitors.

Iminosugars in which the Kdo intracyclic oxygen is replaced by a nitrogen atom will be synthesized and tested in vitro against a panel of antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Siderophore-iminosugar constructs will then be prepared with the most encouraging antibiotic agents in order to improve their membrane permeability by taking advantage of iron-specific active transport mechanisms of bacteria.

This 2-year project will be funded in part by a “Discovery Grant” from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, principal investigator: Prof. Charles Gauthier). Student will receive a stipend of 16,000 $CAN/year. INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier offers many other grant possibilities.

Graduate program: MSc in applied chemistry

Eligibility:
The applicant must hold a BSc in chemistry (or a similar grade), and have knowledge in multi-step synthetic organic chemistry and 1D and 2D NMR analysis. Knowledge in glycochemistry would be an asset but not essential.

Contact and further inquery:

Please contact Prof. Charles Gauthier (charles.gauthier@iaf.inrs.ca) or visit his linkedin profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-gauthier-52296722 for related inquiries.

Application process:

If you are interested by this research project, please send a CV and a motivation letter as well as the contact details of three potential references to charles.gauthier@iaf.inrs.ca.

Detailed information