Grant: Engage Grants Program

Chelation Partners, a Life Science Company, has developed new polymers that can selectively bind iron. Iron isessential for growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi. When iron is taken away, bacteria andfungi are more susceptible to antibiotics including antifungal drugs. Chelation Partners has successfully shownin biological tests that the new iron-binding polymers added to antibiotic drugs significantly reduce effectivedrug concentrations and may again allow the treatment of drug-resistant micro-organisms - a very powerfuldrug enhancement in the threat of antibiotic resistance to public health.While Chelation Partners has a general understanding of the iron-binding properties of the new polymers, theirexact structures and exact chemical binding properties are unknown. This NSERC Engage funding enablesChelation Partners to collaborate with Dr. Bierenstiel, an inorganic chemistry expert in field of coordinationchemistry, for the determination of iron-binding constants and the exact coordination structures of iron towardthe new polymers. Iron-binding constants in presence of other metals, available in biological media, and thestability of iron-bound polymer will be investigated. Chelation Partners does currently not have the chemistryexpertise nor the specialized analytical equipment required for chemical structure and properties studies. Theoutcomes of this structure and binding study will be invaluable for further enhancement and development ofiron-binding polymers with nature of polymer size and increased iron-binding selectivity and stability.