Discovery of Essential Genes for Drug-Resistant Bacteria Reveals New Drug Targets

Biomedical scientists collaborating on translational research at two Buffalo institutions are reporting the discovery of a novel, and heretofore unrecognized, set of genes essential for the growth of potentially lethal, drug-resistant bacteria. The study not only reveals multiple, new drug targets for this human infection, it also suggests that the typical methods of studying bacteria in rich laboratory media may not be the best way to identify much-needed antimicrobial drug targets.

 

 

Journal reference : T. C. Umland, L. W. Schultz, U. MacDonald, J. M. Beanan, R. Olson, T. A. Russo. In Vivo-Validated Essential Genes Identified in Acinetobacter baumannii by Using Human Ascites Overlap Poorly with Essential Genes Detected on Laboratory Media. mBio, 2012; 3 (4): e00113-12 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00113-12