Por Xavier Daura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).
The main objective of our research group is the development of new strategies to combat infections by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, in particular of the gram-negative group. The increasing emergence and spread of MDR pathogens constitutes at present one of the major threats to public health worldwide. The shortage of effective antimicrobials for the treatment of infections by MDR gram-negative bacteria is particularly critical as cases of pan-resistance accumulate. The discovery of new targets and modes of action, less propitious to the evolution of resistance, has therefore become a pressing need. In parallel, the development of prophylactic, as well as therapeutic vaccines constitutes an alternative that might offer advantages in certain cases, including endemic infections or the protection of high-risk population groups. Our team combines a range of computational and experimental techniques for the identification of antimicrobial targets with new modes of action and vaccine candidates eliciting prescribed responses. In this talk I will explain our strategy in this field with recent examples from our work, including the development of bioinformatics tools and the experimental investigation of specific drug-target and vaccine candidates.