The future of antibiotics begins with discovering new combinations
Name
nyas.14649.pdf
Description
Published version
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906.2 KB
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Adobe PDF
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Author(s) • • • •
Zhu, Meilin
Tse, Megan W
Weller, Juliane
Chen, Julie
Blainey, Paul C
Date Issued
July 2021
Journal
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Wiley
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide and growing clinical problem. With limited drug development in the antibacterial space, combination therapy has emerged as a promising strategy to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria. Antibacterial combinations can improve antibiotic efficacy and suppress antibacterial resistance through independent, synergistic, or even antagonistic activities. Combination therapies are famously used to treat viral and mycobacterial infections and cancer. However, antibacterial combinations are only now emerging as a common treatment strategy for other bacterial infections owing to challenges in their discovery, development, regulatory approval, and commercial/clinical deployment. Here, we focus on discovery-where the sheer scale of combinatorial chemical spaces represents a significant challenge-and discuss how combination therapy can impact the treatment of bacterial infections. Despite these challenges, recent advancements, including new in silico methods, theoretical frameworks, and microfluidic platforms, are poised to identify the new and efficacious antibacterial combinations needed to revitalize the antibacterial drug pipeline.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Microbiology Graduate Program
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14649