Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest global health challenges, with Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii among the most difficult to treat. These pathogens use efflux pumps to expel antibiotics, making infections resistant to multiple drug classes. Our group has pioneered Efflux Resistant Breaker (ERB) technology, which modifies antibiotic scaffolds to reduce efflux and maintain high drug levels inside bacterial cells.
We are advancing three major projects:
(1) efflux-resistant antibiotics for chronic respiratory infections, including cystic fibrosis;
(2) a new class of non-fluoroquinolone gyrase inhibitors active against multidrug-resistant “ESKAPE” pathogens; and
(3) antibiotics against bioterror pathogens. In collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency and international partners, we are building a pipeline of safer, more effective antibiotics.
These projects are funded by LifeArc, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Defence Science and Technology Office (Australia), and the Medical Research Council, UK. Our goal is to deliver new treatments that overcome efflux-mediated resistance, extend the useful lifespan of antibiotics in the clinic, and develop a new framework to develop antibiotics that are inherently less susceptible to efflux.