The Fridman Lab develops innovative chemical biology tools and targeted therapeutic strategies to combat resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens. By integrating organic synthesis, cellular imaging, and target-organelle drug design, the lab engineers novel antimicrobials with enhanced potency and reduced toxicity, while creating fluorescent probes to map drug localization and mechanisms of resistance.

Research Focus

• Target-Organelle Directed Antifungals: Designing organelle-specific therapies (such as ER-directed azoles) that localize directly to target enzymes, dramatically boosting drug potency against resistant fungal pathogens like Candida auris and Aspergillus fumigatus.
• Fluorescent Probes & Resistance Diagnostics: Synthesizing novel fluorescent derivative probes (e.g., labeled caspofungin and azoles) to monitor drug uptake, endocytosis, and subcellular distribution in live pathogen cells for rapid resistance prediction.
• Ototoxicity-Reduced Aminoglycoside Antibiotics: Applying rational chemical modifications (such as selective glycosylation and N-demethylation) to eliminate inner-ear cell damage and membrane permeabilization caused by life-saving aminoglycosides.
• Metabolic Labeling & Outer Membrane Architecture: Utilizing bio-orthogonal chemistry and metabolic pathway labeling to visualize lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and phospholipids in Gram-negative bacteria, probing outer membrane permeability and resistance mechanisms.

Capabilities

• Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry: Custom organic synthesis and rational modification of complex natural products, antibiotics, and antifungal scaffolds.
• Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy & Imaging: High-resolution optical imaging setups to track real-time drug uptake, vesicle transport, and subcellular localization in live microbial cells.
• Chemical Biology & Bio-Orthogonal Labeling: Metabolic incorporation of bio-orthogonal functional groups to label bacterial outer-membrane components and cellular targets.
• In-Vitro & Cell-Based Safety Profiling: Assays for evaluating translation inhibition, cell permeabilization, and selective toxicity across mammalian and microbial systems.

Partnership & Opportunities in Different Industries

• Pharma & Antifungal Drug Development: Partnering with pharmaceutical companies to commercialize organelle-directed antifungal drug candidates against multi-drug resistant fungal infections.
• Non-Toxic Antibiotics Development: Collaborating with biopharma partners to develop safer, non-ototoxic aminoglycoside derivatives for neonatal sepsis and cystic fibrosis treatment.
• Diagnostic Tools & Reagents: Licensing proprietary fluorescent antimicrobial probes to clinical laboratories for rapid detection and prediction of drug resistance.
• Potential Market Segments: Therapeutics (Infectious Diseases, Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery), Research Tools (Antibodies & Reagents), Diagnostics.

Contact:
Email: mfridman@tauex.tau.ac.il
Phone: 03-6408687
Website: https://www.fridman-lab.sites.tau.ac.il/
Office: Shenkar – Chemistry, 318