No strings attached: targeting bacterial mating to halt resistance gene spread

Antibiotic resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to global health, rendering once-treatable infections impossible to cure. Most bacterial pathogens acquire resistance by mating with one another, a process that requires direct contact through a pilus, a stringy tube-like structure that enables the transfer of resistance genes. If mating pilus attachment is blocked, this gene transfer is halted, leaving bacteria vulnerable to antibiotics. Our goal is to identify and exploit innovative molecules that act as bacterial “contraceptives”, helping to preserve the effectiveness of existing life-saving antibiotics.