Subject Area
Chemistry
Abstract
Antibiotics arguably represent the most important discovery of the 20th Century. The b-lactams are the most prescribed class of antibiotics. Carbapenems are considered the most potent and broadest spectrum of all beta-lactams due to their excellent performance against severe infections caused by Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and mycobacterial pathogens. However, 21st century bacteria have rapidly evolved resistance to conventional antibiotics. The pharmaceutical industry has largely abandoned the development of new antibiotics due to concerns about their long-term profitability. My research is focusing on designing, synthesizing, and, through multiple collaborators, evaluating atypical (i.e. modified at positions other than the carbapenem C2 position) carbapenem scaffold. We have discovered new molecules with improved activity against clinically relevant bacterial pathogens. Our new antibiotics display interesting new modes of chemical interaction with the respective target bacterial transpeptidases and beta-lactamases. The emphasis of this research is on new carbapenems that target carbapenem-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium abscessus, and Acinetobacter baumannii.
Degree Date
Fall 2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Chemistry
Advisor
John Buynak
Second Advisor
Alexander Lippert
Third Advisor
Peng Tao
Fourth Advisor
Anindita Das
Fifth Advisor
Rohde Kyle
Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Quan, Pojun, "Design and Synthesis of Atypical C5 and C2 Substituted Carbapenem Antibiotics" (2025). Chemistry Theses and Dissertations. 59.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_chemistry_etds/59
