Targeting microbial biofilms using genomics-guided drug discovery

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1-1-2023

School

Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences

Abstract

Biofilm formation is one of the most potent virulent strategies that is employed by both bacterial and fungal pathogens. The development of biofilms is a coordinated and multifactorial process that occurs after substantial periods of clinical quiescence. Conventional antimicrobials often do not exert any limiting action on these structures, and this drug tolerance can be attributed to both genetic and adaptive causes. Both mutations and transfer of resistance genes, as a direct effect of increased microbial density, lead the microorganisms to gradually become resistant and tolerant to traditional antibiotics or antimicrobial agents through metabolic dormancy or molecular persistence programs. New therapeutic options are being explored for their clinical use as we have almost run out of suitable intervention strategies. With the advancement of omics technologies, it is now possible to study the entire process of biofilm formation from genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels in a coordinated manner, thus providing us with the opportunity to identify novel drug targets and implement rational drug designing approaches. This chapter shall/will explore the available technologies and propose a strategy to identify novel therapeutic targets in the biofilm formation cascade using a combination of genomics and computer-aided drug discovery–based approaches.

Publication Title

Microbial Biofilms Challenges and Advances in Metabolomic Study

First Page

315

Last Page

324

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