Mark Mitton-Fry receives 2024 Falk Medical Research Trust Catalyst Award
Mark Mitton-Fry, PhD, an associate professor in The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy’s Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, was recently awarded a Falk Medical Research Trust Catalyst Award, marking his award from the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust.
The Catalyst Award Program provides seed funding over one to two years to support high-risk, high-reward translational research that addresses critical scientific and therapeutic roadblocks and can be transferred to clinical practice in the near term. If successful, these projects will have high-impact outcomes that open new avenues for treating, curing and improving the lives of individuals suffering from disease.
Dr. Mitton-Fry’s project is titled, “Preclinical Development of OSUAB-0284: A new therapy for MRSA infections.”
Dr. Mitton-Fry’s research involves the design, chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors as potential treatments for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. These agents target enzymes that are inhibited by the clinically important fluoroquinolone antibiotics. His research uses a unique approach designed to avoid drug resistance and undesirable off-target effects such as adverse cardiovascular safety profiles and unexpected pharmacology. An overarching theme of his approach is to implement the simplest and most efficient methods to construct complex, therapeutically important molecules.
Dr. Mitton-Fry’s commitment to advancing the discovery of cures for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections is evident by his continued success. His leadership as a researcher and teacher exemplifies the high level of faculty excellence that we treasure at The Ohio State University.
Since coming to Ohio State in 2016, Dr. Mitton-Fry’s research proposals have been supported by multiple grants totaling over $3 million as principal investigator. He has also been part of approximately $7 million in external grants at Ohio State as a co-investigator. He has received an R01 Award as principal investigator from the National Institutes of Health for his research. Dr. Mitton-Fry has published 33 peer-reviewed journal articles, many in high-impact journals. He is a well-established inventor with eight issued patents. In 2019, Dr. Mitton-Fry was the first person at Ohio State to receive a Falk Transformational Award for his project, “Combating Antibiotic Resistance with Novel Bacterial Topoisomerase Inhibitors.”
Dr. Mitton-Fry has established himself as a highly successful researcher and an outstanding scholar who demonstrates an enthusiastic approach to collaboration and a strong leadership record. His service continues to benefit the university and the national infectious disease community.
About the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust:
The Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust was created by Marian Falk in 1979 to support biomedical research. Mrs. Falk sought to fund “medical research to improve treatments of the past and eventually find cures for diseases for which no definite cure is known.” U.S. Trust, Bank of America, N.A., serves as Trustee for the Falk Medical Research Trust. Read more about the Catalyst Awards Program at https://hria.org/tmf/falkcap/.