Functional genomics in antibacterial drug discovery

Antibacterial drug discovery has experienced a paradigm shift from phenotypic screening for antibacterial activity to rational inhibition of preselected targets. Functional genomics techniques are implemented at various stages of the early drug discovery process and play a central role in target validation and mode of action determination. The spectrum of methods ranges from genetic manipulations (e.g. knockout studies, mutation analyses and the construction of conditional mutants) to transcriptome and proteome expression profiling. Functional genomics supports antibacterial drug discovery by improving knowledge on gene function, bacterial physiology and virulence and the effects of antibiotics on bacterial metabolism.