Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet no new drugs have been developed in the last 40 years. Objective: The exceedingly lengthy TB chemotherapy and the increasing emergence of drug resistance complicated by HIV co-infection call for the development of new TB drugs. These problems are further compounded by a poor understanding of the biology of persister bacteria. Methods: New molecular tools have offered insights into potential new drug targets, particularly the enzymes of the shikimate pathway, which is the focus of this review. Results/conclusion: Shikimate pathway enzymes, especially shikimate kinase, may offer attractive targets for new TB drug and vaccine development.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 565-577 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2008 |
Keywords
- Drug development
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Shikimate kinase
- Shikimate pathway
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Drug Discovery