Researchers in Groningen have synthesised a variant of a sugar molecule that is incorporated in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. However, as reported in JACS Au, they did not achieve the desired effect.

In view of antibiotic resistance, the search for new ways to render bacteria harmless is ongoing. One interesting target for Gram-negative bacteria is their cell wall, which consists of two membranes separated by a layer of peptidoglycan. On the outside of the outer membrane is a layer of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Disrupting the cell wall from the inside makes the bacteria more sensitive to antibiotics. Zeynep Su Ziylan, Marthe Walvoort and their colleagues at the University of Groningen have successfully achieved this using a derivative of the sugar molecule 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo). Well, almost successfully.