Chemistry-RACI

New antibiotics on the way

Designing new dual action antibiotics

RACI Symposium – Antibacterials, Monday 9:00am

John Bremner, University of Wollongong

Matthew Cooper, University of Queensland

Multidrug resistant bacteria are a major health issue around the world and new effective drugs are clearly urgently needed.

John Bremner and his colleagues are presenting their approach to creating new antibiotics to fight against drug resistant strains of golden staph (Staphylococcus aureus) and other pathogens. They’ve created synthetic antibiotics inspired by vancomycin.

And Mathew Cooper and his colleagues at the University of Queensland have developed a novel strategy of linking an out-of-patent antibiotic, vancomycin, to small protein fragments to produce a new class of anti-bacterials.

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DNA fingerprinting in just two hours

RACI Plenary Two Tuesday 2:15pm

Steve Haswell, University of Hull

A hand-held DNA testing device developed by UK scientists is set to change the way forensic analysis of DNA is conducted.

Normally, DNA samples have to be transported back to the lab and need trained people using expensive instruments to conduct the analysis. Steve Haswell and his team at the University of Hull have developed the lab-on-a-chip technology that will reduce the time it takes to produce results from days to hours.

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Monday's chemistry stories from RACI

DNA fingerprinting in just two hours

The plant whisperer – asking plants how they fight disease

New antibiotics on their way

We’re living 30 years longer with chemistry

Today’s stories from Chemistry for a Sustainable World,  an international conference organised by RACI, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Details at www.scienceinpublic.com.au

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