The most threatening, drug-resistant bacteria are resistant to three classes of antibiotics (as defined by their mode of action or bacterial target). The baddest bugs of the bunch are unbeatable. They can block, pump out, or degrade any antibiotic we’ve got to throw at them. “They just scoff” at drugs.

Why have so few new antibiotics been developed in the past few decades, and how can new tools be used to spur antibiotic discovery and development?

It’s alarming to me that modern drug discovery technologies have failed to yield new antibiotics but have been very successful in other therapeutic areas. I think it calls for some careful examination of the sources of failure. 

Researchers at McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR) have identified a promising lead in the search for new antibiotics.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they conclude that clomiphene – a widely used fertility drug – exhibits cryptic antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA).

Off the coast of California, nearly 20,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, scientists from the San Diego Institute of Oceaneography are collecting samples of marine life from the ocean floor. At first glance, these small clumps of sediment may appear nothing special, but the micro-organisms which lie within may one day provide an answer to one of the most urgent issues in modern healthcare: the global antibiotic resistance pandemic.

The Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research would like to congratulate fourth-year student Kali Iyer on receiving the 2015 Michael Kamin Hart Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Research.

Researchers have proposed a way to force antibiotic resistant bacteria to “evolve backwards” into a pre-resistant state, according to a study published Wednesday inPlos One. It’s just one example of the out-of-the-box thinking science is taking to tackle the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria before it’s too late.

A new five-year plan to fight the critical problem of antibiotic resistance brings welcome momentum and attention to a fight that demands a global effort, say leading Canadian researchers in the field. 

When the world’s leading scientists in antibiotic resistance gather next week, McMaster’s experts will be leading the discussions...

Three McMaster University professors have been named Canada Research Chairs.

The announcement was made Friday by the university and the federal ministry of state (science and technology).

Jonathan Bramson and Eric Brown were selected as Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs and will receive $1.4 million over seven years to help in their research work.

Medical science has been forced to get creative in the search for new antibiotic drugs. CBC News reports that researchers at McMaster University recently bypassed the traditional method of searching for antibiotics under optimal lab conditions in favour of finding antibacterial compounds under nutrient-poor conditions. 

A group of researchers at McMaster University are addressing the issue of drug resistance by taking the road less travelled to come up with new approach to find antibiotics.

At a time when scientists are quickly running out of options, McMaster researchers are using a new approach to fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.