New strategy for drug design: Keeping copper atoms closer to keep bacteria away

Hydrogen peroxide reacts with copper to produce hydroxyl radicals with strong antibacterial properties. However, this requires high copper concentrations because two copper atoms have to come close together, which occurs by chance. Now, scientists have engineered a long polymer with copper-containing side units that create regions with locally high copper density, boosting the antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide and paving the way to a new drug design concept.

source https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210727163230.htm