Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance

ABSTRACT

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a real and growing threat to human health. This complex, multifactorial problem requires a deeper understanding of bacterial physiology allowing us to seek novel approaches to overcome resistance. I will review antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, Gram-negative outer membrane biology, and present two early drug discovery projects aimed at overcoming resistance.

BIOGRAPHY

BS, Microbiology, University of Maine. PhD, Molecular Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center. Postdoctoral fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Graduate studies focused on understanding the basic architecture of a eukaryotic nuclear origin of DNA replication utilizing the robust molecular genetics of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Postdoctoral fellowship sought to define the role of the a complex and dynamic multiprotein complex in initiation of activated transcription. Following postdoctoral work, I began a 28-year career in antibacterial and antifungal drug discovery at Schering-Plough and Merck & Co., Inc. The central theme of that work was to utilize phenotypic screening of small molecules, natural products, and peptides coupled with detailed mechanism of action and resistance studies to identify novel leads to address antimicrobial resistance.