Oliver Adams, as part of his DPhil studies in Simon Newstead’s group at the University of Oxford, has resolved the structure of MmpL3 which is the only essential member of the mmpL family of genes. It is a mycolic acid transporter that is targeted by a number of antituberculars under active development, for example SQ109 which is in Phase 3 clinical trials. This is not the first structure of MmpL3, however it is the first of the M. tuberculosis gene.

The paper is now available in Structure and is free to download.