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Eric John Toone

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Chemistry
Box 90346, Durham, NC 27708-0346
3236 French Science Center, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Dr. Toone is a physical organic chemist who studies relationships between structure and activity in the context of biology. Currently active programs exist in biocatalysis/applied enzymology, ligand binding and the activity of water, and the synthesis of novel donors of nitric oxide. The study of these problems makes use of synthetic organic chemistry, traditional enzymology, isothermal titration microcalorimetry, and the techniques of directed evolution.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus of Chemistry · 2018 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Bass Fellow · 2003 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published October 6, 2016
Duke Holds DC Panel Discussion on Universities and Entrepreneurship
Published September 19, 2016
Toone Named to US Advisory Council Studying Entrepreneurship and American Innovation
Published July 26, 2016
The Role of Higher Ed in Entrepreneurship

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Recent Publications


Assessing the threat of Yersinia pestis harboring a multi-resistant IncC plasmid and the efficacy of an antibiotic targeting LpxC.

Journal Article Antimicrob Agents Chemother · March 5, 2025 Self-transmissible IncC plasmids rapidly spread multidrug resistance in many medically important pathogens worldwide. A large plasmid of this type (pIP1202, ~80 Kb) has been isolated in a clinical isolate of Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague. Here, we r ... Full text Link to item Cite

Preclinical safety and efficacy characterization of an LpxC inhibitor against Gram-negative pathogens.

Journal Article Sci Transl Med · August 9, 2023 The UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxyacyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase LpxC is an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of lipid A, the outer membrane anchor of lipopolysaccharide and lipooligosaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria. The development of LpxC-targeting a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Degradation of Components of the Lpt Transenvelope Machinery Reveals LPS-Dependent Lpt Complex Stability in Escherichia coli.

Journal Article Front Mol Biosci · 2021 Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a peculiar component of the outer membrane (OM) of many Gram-negative bacteria that renders these bacteria highly impermeable to many toxic molecules, including antibiotics. LPS is assembled at the OM by a dedicated intermembran ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Adjuvant Discovery Program (Option #1)

ResearchProject Leader · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2017

Adjuvant Discovery Program

ResearchProject Leader · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2017

LpxC inhibitors as a novel class of antibiotics against N. gonorrhoeae

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2011 - 2017

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Toronto (Canada) · 1988 Ph.D.
University of Toronto (Canada) · 1985 M.S.
University of Guelph (Canada) · 1983 B.S.