Metal complex-aminoglycoside conjugates for sequence-specific cleavage of RNA

This project aims to establish innovative new territory in the design and development of compounds which can catalyse the cleavage of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules that are vital to the life cycles of bacteria and viruses. This will involve coupling catalytically-active metal complexes to aminoglycosides, a well-known class of RNA-binding antibiotics, in order to convert them from essentially reversible binders, into compounds that cause permanent damage to specific bacterial and viral RNA targets. These compounds are likely to prove useful as prototypes for developing potent new catalytic drugs , as well as biochemical tools for probing or manipulating RNA molecules.