Anti-infective natural products from niche habitats

USF’s Center for Drug Discovery and Innovation is an early phase/lead identification drug discovery program that brings together a broad group of on-campus biologists and chemists. Infectious diseases are among the most prevalent screening targets. Among the chemodiversity we bring to infectious disease screening are natural products from niche habitats, such as the Southern Ocean and mangrove communities. An overview of our approach will be followed by our most recent results in identifying compounds active against ESKAPE pathogenic bacteria and neglected diseases such as leishmaniasis and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).