Global strategies for developing alternatives to antibiotics for human health

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top public health problems worldwide. Especially concerning is the loss of effective antibiotics for bacterial infections that were previously highly effective and led to major advances in human health. Continued exposure to existing classes of antibiotics with few new classes emerging, coupled with failure of pharmaceutical companies to recoup return on investment relative to other classes of drugs for use in modern medicine have created a complicated mix of challenges. The NIAID is a key component of the US national and international effort to address these challenges. Approaches include basic, translational and clinical research for better means of diagnosis, prevention and treatment, as well as preclinical and clinical resources to decrease the risks to antibiotic companies. NIAID antibiotic resistance research plans have included emphasis on exploring alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Examples of efforts to incentivize research in this area, including special funding announcements, along with selected examples of projects moving forward will be summarized.
 
Keywords: Antimicrobial, resistance, antibiotics, bacterial, infections.