Potential next generation targets for antibacterial agent's discovery and development.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
• Drug Discovery and Development
• Public Health

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health crisis driven by inappropriate antimicrobial use and evolution.
• The pipeline for new antibiotics is critically low, with few novel mechanisms of action, pushing medicine towards a post-antibiotic era.
• Existing drug candidates often fail as they are derivatives of current antibiotics or target pathways already exhibiting resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the urgent need for novel antibacterial agents by identifying unexplored targets.
• To review recently discovered molecules with antibacterial activity and their potential targets.
• To provide strategies for harmonizing drug development and reducing attrition rates for next-generation antibiotics.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of scientific publications from the past five years.
• Identification and summarization of feasible, unexplored antibacterial targets.
• Analysis of novel antibacterial molecules and their mechanisms of action.

Main Results:

• Identification of 28 feasible unexplored targets for novel antibacterial drug development.
• Compilation of a list of novel antibacterial molecules and their potential targets reported in recent literature.
• Overview of key challenges, gaps, and strategic approaches in antibacterial drug development.

Conclusions:

• There is an urgent need for new antimicrobials with novel mechanisms to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
• The identified targets and molecules provide a foundation for developing safe, effective, and affordable antibacterial drugs.
• Revisiting development strategies and harmonizing procedures can accelerate the creation of next-generation antibiotics and mitigate the AMR crisis.