Finding new antibiotics and infection-fighting molecules from nature
Official title: GUARD: A global unbiased antimicrobial discovery platform
Funded at Texas Engineering Experiment Station · NIH-11232319 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a tiny-device screening method to find natural antibiotics and molecules that boost the body's ability to fight drug-resistant infections like MRSA and Acinetobacter.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Engineering Experiment Station NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project start | November 7, 2022 |
| Project end | October 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $714,784 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI168685-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11232319 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have or are at risk for drug-resistant bacterial infections such as MRSA or Acinetobacter baumannii could ultimately be candidates for future trials stemming from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with viral infections or non-infectious conditions are unlikely to benefit from this antibiotic-discovery research.
What this research studies
Researchers are building a small microfluidic platform called GUARD that screens individual environmental microbes to find natural products that either kill harmful bacteria or activate host defenses. The system tests microbes one cell at a time at high throughput and low cost, expanding the range of molecules that can be discovered. The team is focusing on compounds active against drug-resistant pathogens such as MRSA and multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter. If promising molecules are found, they could move into later development and clinical testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to new antibiotic drugs or host-directed therapies to treat infections that no longer respond to current medicines.
How similar studies have gone: Natural-product screening has historically produced important antibiotics, but this single-cell, high-throughput microfluidic discovery approach is relatively new and not yet proven in clinical development.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Engineering Experiment Station
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jayaraman, Arul — Texas Engineering Experiment Station
- Study coordinator: Jayaraman, Arul
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.