Nic Spicer

Mentor: Dr. Ben Swarts
Research: Development of Glycolipid Derivatives as Potential Therapeutics Against Tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Although antibiotics exist, efficacy is limited and costs are high, largely because the bacterium's highly impermeable outer mycomembrane acts as a drug barrier. This mycomembrane relies on glycolipids like trehalose monomycolate (TMM), which feature extremely long fatty acid chains. Research shows that altering these chains increases membrane permeability, boosting anti-TB drug efficacy. Here, we synthetically engineered TMM variants with shortened fatty acid chains to apply to living TB cells. This ongoing study aims to elucidate how these synthetic TMMs disrupt mycomembrane permeability, establishing a foundation for the potential pharmacological development of novel TB therapies.