UNIverse - Public Research Portal
Project cover

Tolerance as a potential reservoir for the development of antibiotic resistance (NPR72)

Research Project
 | 
01.01.2017
 - 31.12.2019

The widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of existing resistance mechanisms and the evolution of novel resistance traits. While resistant microorganisms are able to grow in the presence of the antibiotic, drug tolerance and drug persistence allow survival during transient antibiotic treatment windows. The mechanisms responsible for drug tolerance and persistence are currently unknown, representing a major obstacle for the development of anti-persistence drugs and other intervention strategies to cure persistent bacterial infection and interfere with resistance development. The often rare and transient nature of the multi-drug tolerant phenotype represents a particular challenge for the experimental and clinical exploration of persisting bacteria calling for a concerted and multi-pronged research approach to uncover their specific properties, clinical significance, and possible eradication strategies. While drug persistence mechanisms have been pioneered primarily in E. coli, it remains unclear how universal these features are. Importantly, it is also unclear if tolerance or persistence relates to the emergence of resistance traits and what their relevance is in the human patient. To uncover the different mechanisms of antibiotic survival and their implications for resistance development, we use Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important human pathogen causing both acute and chronic infections.

Collaborations & Cooperations

2019 - Participation or Organization of Collaborations within own University
Schwede, Torsten, Prof., Biozentrum Universität Basel, Research cooperation

Members (2)

Profile Photo

Urs Jenal

Principal Investigator
Profile Photo

Adrian Egli

Co-Investigator