Sylvie
Garneau-Tsodikova
a and
Gerard D.
Wright
b
aDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, BioPharm Complex, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0596, USA. E-mail: sylviegtsodikova@uky.edu
bDepartment of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada. E-mail: wrightge@mcmaster.ca
While it is encouraging that AMR is on the radar of public health leaders across the globe, solving the problem will require major investments in new research. The core scientific challenge of AMR is immense: how can we keep up with or even overcome bacterial evolution? In this themed issue of MedChemComm on antibiotic resistance, authors from across the globe have contributed reviews of the literature and new research papers to address the challenge of resistance. A common theme in this issue is the important role of proven antibiotic chemical scaffolds in developing 21st century antibiotics. Several authors demonstrate the value of new chemical matter based on ‘old’ drugs in overcoming existing resistance, here the aminoglycoside antibiotics, once abandoned by the pharmaceutical industries, are being explored with fresh chemistry and new ideas. Others are exploring how blocking resistance itself in order to rescue legacy drugs can advance antibiotic drug discovery.
This themed issue features a combination of reviews and research articles that are intended to lead the readers towards gaining a better knowledge about some of the important multiple facets of the resistance problem. From these combined articles, it is clear that the field of antibiotic resistance is ever growing and expanding in many new directions.
The overall sense of the contributions to this special issue is one of cautious optimism. The challenges of AMR are difficult and global in nature; nevertheless there is significant opportunity for innovation in this arena. The work reported in this issue of MedChemComm offers examples of this innovation from some of the best laboratories in the world tackling what is one of the gravest problems in 21st century health. We hope that our readers, both experts in this field of research and newcomers, will appreciate and be inspired by this collection of articles.
Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova (MedChemComm Associate Editor)
Gerard D. Wright (Guest Editor)
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