The current standard treatment for tuberculosis (TB) consists of a combination of four antibiotics administered for 6 to 12 months. There is hence a clear need for new strategies both for shorter treatment periods and that may address the emergence of multi- and extensive drug-resistant TB. Researchers from Scripps Research Institute have reported on the synthesis and preclinical characterization of a series of novel aryl fluorosulfate derivatives designed to be used for the treatment of TB.

The cyclic imine toxins represent a growing family of neurotoxic lipophilic compounds made by a variety of benthic marine dinoflagellate species. These cause many shellfish food poisonings worldwide. Their cyclic nature confers exceptional chemical stability with bioaccumulation, but the inability to synthesize adequate amounts of these molecules has precluded basic research of their mechanisms of action.

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) mediates cell entry and is the target of the host humoral immune response. Functional Env is a trimer of noncovalent gp120-gp41 heterodimers. Rational trimer design has transformed the HIV-1 vaccine research field and has helped understand Env structure and immunogenicity. Uncleaved prefusion-optimized (UFO) trimers have been shown to stabilize diverse HIV-1 Env glycoproteins.