Overview

• The study, led by Dr. Ishwar Singh’s team at the University of Liverpool, was published this week in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (Malkawi et al.; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01193).
• Novltex targets lipid II, an essential cell‑wall precursor that researchers consider less prone to mutation, aiming for durability against resistance.
• In vitro, compounds were fast‑acting at low doses against WHO priority pathogens MRSA and Enterococcus faecium.
• Several Novltex molecules outperformed licensed antibiotics such as vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid in laboratory assays.
• The program remains preclinical, with planned animal infection models, pharmacokinetics work and partnerships to prepare for clinical trials.