Grant: Project Grant

The efficacy of beta-lactam antibiotics is being eroded by the increasing prevalence of bacteria that produce AmpC beta-lactamase, an enzyme that inactivates most clinically available beta-lactams. AmpC is produced by many pathogenic Gram negative bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen that is the leading cause of lung infections and mortality among people with cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa produces AmpC when challenged with beta-lactams, making it highly resistant to this safe and proven class of antibiotics. Our objective is to fully understand the biochemical pathway that allows P. aeruginosa induce production of AmpC in response to beta-lactam treatment and use this knowledge to guide new therapeutic approaches to block this mechanism of antibiotic resistance.