Grant: Canada-UK Partnership on Antibiotic Resistance - LOI

Bacteria have two forms of growth, either swimming freely in a liquid environment or attached to a surface as a population of cells encased in a slimy covering (refered to as a biofilm). All our current antibiotics have been tested against bacteria growing in a liquid environment. However, scientists are beginning to appreciate that in the environment and in many types of infections, especially chronic infections, bacteria are growing as biofilms. This gives the bacteria many advantages and in particular allows them to tolerate antibiotics where if they were swimming the antibiotics would kill the bacteria. Our proposal will address the selection of and the development of new antibiotics (the so called next generation antibiotics) that specifically target bacteria growing as a Biofilm. Our long term goal is to develop better antibiotics that bacteria could not develop a resistance to and which will be more effective against chronic infections.