Combatting Antibiotic Resistance - Protect the Gut while Targeting Disease

By John Kokai-Kun, PhD, Vice President of Non-Clinical Affairs, Synthetic Biologics

Public awareness of both the human microbiome and antibiotic resistance are on the rise. Governments across the developed world have come together in agreement that action is necessary to address the proliferation of antibiotic resistance in an effort to avoid a potential epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections. The signing of the “Declaration on Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance” in January by global leaders in the Pharmaceutical and Diagnostic industries at the World Economic Forum in Davos further emphasizes the growing need to develop new and innovative approaches to combat the spread of drug-resistant microorganisms.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when microorganisms, like bacteria, no longer respond to antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, that are designed and administered to treat infections caused by these microorganisms. Continued exposure, overuse and misuse of antibiotics cause microorganisms to develop resistance to antimicrobial agents. Research shows such resistant strains of microorganisms can be capable of transferring resistance genes with other species, contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance.