Knowledgebase of potential multifaceted solutions to antimicrobial resistance

Area of Science:

• Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
• Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics
• Drug Discovery and Development

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health challenge, compromising the effectiveness of existing infection prevention and treatment strategies.
• The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through lateral gene transfer and human practices exacerbates the AMR crisis, necessitating novel therapeutic solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive knowledgebase of alternative antimicrobial therapeutic strategies to combat resistant pathogens.
• To curate and organize data on novel antimicrobial entities from scientific literature for accessible research and development.

Main Methods:

• Utilized text mining of PubMed literature to extract therapeutic strategies against bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections.
• Employed a subjective (sentimental) data mining approach to identify novel strategies, followed by the addition of objective data (entity name, potency, safety).
• Organized extracted data into a freely accessible web platform named KOMBAT.

Main Results:

• The KOMBAT knowledgebase contains 1104 chemical compounds, 220 antimicrobial peptides, 42 bacteriophages, 242 phytochemicals, 106 nanocomposites, and 94 phototherapy entities.
• Includes entities tested and evaluated against antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens.
• Provides comprehensive data including IUPAC names, potency, and safety information for identified entities.

Conclusions:

• The KOMBAT database serves as a valuable resource for researchers and developers seeking novel therapeutics against AMR pathogens.
• Facilitates the discovery and development of next-generation antimicrobial treatments by consolidating diverse therapeutic strategies.
• The accessible platform aims to accelerate efforts in combating the global threat of antimicrobial resistance.