Finding new antibiotics from beneficial animal bacteria
Microbial Ecology-Guided Discovery of Antibacterial Drugs
This project looks for antibiotic chemicals made by bacteria that live in animals to fight dangerous drug-resistant germs like Acinetobacter baumannii.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285352 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers search bacteria that naturally live in animals because those microbes may make chemicals that kill harmful bacteria while being compatible with animal (and human) biology. The team collects these symbiotic bacteria, grows them in the lab, and screens their small-molecule products for activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens such as A. baumannii. Promising compounds are tested for how well they kill pathogens and whether they are safe for human cells, then optimized in laboratory models. The work is primarily lab- and animal-based to find candidate antibiotics that could move toward human testing in the future.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (for example A. baumannii) would be the likely candidates for any future clinical trials of drugs from this work.
Not a fit: People with non-bacterial illnesses (for example viral or fungal infections) or those not infected with the target bacteria are unlikely to benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce new, less-toxic antibiotics that treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria like Acinetobacter baumannii.
How similar studies have performed: Natural products have historically been a rich source of antibiotics, so the general approach has precedent, though specifically mining animal-associated symbionts for human-safe antibiotics is a newer, less-established strategy.
Where this research is happening
Salt Lake City, United States
- Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah — Salt Lake City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schmidt, Eric W — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Schmidt, Eric W
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 below.