Open AccessThe fallacies of hope: will we discover new antibiotics to combat pathogenic bacteria in time?
Author(s) -
Vicente Miguel,
Hodgson John,
Massidda Orietta,
Tonjum Tone,
HenriquesNormark Birgitta,
Ron Eliora Z.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2006.00038.x
Subject(s) - antibiotic resistance , biology , emerging technologies , risk analysis (engineering) , antibiotics , microbiology and biotechnology , business , computer science , artificial intelligence
While newly developed technologies have revolutionized the classical approaches to combating infectious diseases, the difficulties associated with developing novel antimicrobials mean that these technologies have not yet been used to introduce new compounds into the market. The new technologies, including genomics and structural biology, open up exciting possibilities for the discovery of antibiotics. However, a substantial effort to pursue research, and moreover to incorporate the results into the production chain, is required in order to bring new antimicrobials to the final user. In the current scenario of emerging diseases and the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance, an active policy to support these requirements is vital. Otherwise, many valuable programmes may never be fully developed for lack of “interest” and funds (private and public). Will we react in time to avoid potential disaster?