title: Target-based antimicrobial drug discovery.
abstract: The continued increase in antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens, coupled with a decrease in infectious disease research among pharmaceutical companies, has escalated the need for novel and effective antibacterial chemotherapies. While current agents have emerged almost exclusively from whole-cell screening of natural products and small molecules that cause microbial death, recent advances in target identification and assay development have resulted in a flood of target-driven drug discovery methods. Whether genome-based methodologies will yield new classes of agents that conventional methods have been unable to is yet to be seen. At the end of the day, perhaps a synergy between old and new approaches will harvest the next generation of antibacterial treatments.
authors.affiliation: Wyeth Research, Pearl River, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Lefa E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Alksne
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Dunman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001688:Biological Products