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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Microbial Communities in Nature and Laboratory - Interview
Published on: May 28, 2007
Microbial Genomics: Innovative Targets and Mechanisms
Asma Hussain Alkatheri1, Polly Soo-Xi Yap2, Aisha Abushelaibi3
1Health Sciences Division, Abu Dhabi Women's College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi 41012, United Arab Emirates.
Abstract:
Multidrug resistance (MDR) has become an increasing threat to global health because bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics over time. Scientists worldwide are searching for new approaches that go beyond traditional antibiotic discovery and development pipelines. Advances in genomics, however, opened up an unexplored therapeutic opportunity for the discovery of new antibacterial agents. Genomic approaches have been used to discover several novel antibiotics that target critical processes for bacterial growth and survival, including histidine kinases (HKs), LpxC, FabI, peptide deformylase (PDF), and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AaRS). In this review, we will discuss the use of microbial genomics in the search for innovative and promising drug targets as well as the mechanisms of action for novel antimicrobial agents. We will also discuss future directions on how the utilization of the microbial genomics approach could improve the odds of antibiotic development having a more successful outcome.
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