title: Resistance is futile: the bacteriocin model for addressing the antibiotic resistance challenge.
abstract: Pathogenic bacteria resistant to many or all antibiotics already exist. With the decline in microbiological research at pharmaceutical companies, the high rate at which resistance has evolved and spread has demanded a novel approach to addressing this critical human health issue. In the present paper, we propose a new paradigm in antibiotic discovery and development, one that applies ecological and evolutionary theory to design antimicrobial drugs that are more difficult and/or more costly to resist. In essence, we propose to simply adopt the strategies invented and applied by bacteria for hundreds of millions of years. Our research focuses on bacteriocins, powerful biological weapons, and their use as alternative therapeutics in human health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 611 N. Pleasant Street Amherst, MA 01003, USA. riley@bio.umass.edu
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dorit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D003087:Colicins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003087:Colicins