Elsevier

Current Opinion in Microbiology

Volume 27, October 2015, Pages 108-113
Current Opinion in Microbiology

Translational deficiencies in antibacterial discovery and new screening paradigms

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2015.08.006Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Appreciation for bacterial physiology during infection will impact discovery.

  • Following CLSI guidelines can prevent accurate prediction of compound utility.

  • New antibacterial screening strategies may identify new drug targets/pathways.

An impending disaster is currently developing in the infectious disease community: the combination of rapidly emerging multidrug-resistance among clinically relevant bacterial pathogens, together with an unprecedented withdrawal from industrial dedication to this disease area, is jeopardizing human health on a societal level. For those who remain focused and dedicated to identifying solutions to this growing problem, additional challenges await when in vitro activity does not correlate with in vivo efficacy. Thus the development of more effective translational assays will greatly improve and streamline the process of identifying novel antibacterial agents that can stand the test of preclinical and clinical development. Here we describe recent examples of research that justify the need for such assays.

Section snippets

References and recommended reading

Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:

  • • of special interest

  • •• of outstanding interest

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