🧫 DARTS takes up the fight against antibiotic resistance

• A major research project called DARTS has been launched to combat antibiotic resistance.
• Researchers are using new methods such as AI and microfluidics to find new antibiotics faster.
• Improved diagnostics can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and slow down resistance development.

The DARTS project takes on resistant bacteria

A new research project called DARTS (Defeating Antibiotic Resistance through Transformative Solutions) has been launched with the goal of combating the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The project, funded with 104 million dollars, aims to better understand how bacteria develop resistance, develop new antibiotic candidates, and improve the diagnosis of infections.

DARTS is one of the first major initiatives from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The project combines several different research strategies to address the antibiotic resistance problem from various angles.

New methods for finding antibiotics

An important part of the DARTS project is the use of new technology to find potential antibiotics faster. The researchers use a microfluid chip containing millions of microchannels where bacteria can be studied. By combining this with advanced automated microscopy, researchers can observe how individual pathogenic microbes grow and divide, and how they are affected by potential antibiotics.

This method is expected to drastically reduce the time it takes to identify new antibiotics for further development. According to the researchers, the process can be up to ten times faster with this technology compared to traditional methods.

AI accelerates drug development

Several research groups are also using artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the search for new antibiotics. AI algorithms are trained on data from real experiments with antibiotics and microbes to predict which molecules may have antimicrobial potential.

This method has already led to the discovery of several promising compounds, such as halicin and abaucin. Researchers have now begun to use generative AI to create entirely new molecules that could potentially become effective antibiotics.

Improved diagnostics to reduce antibiotic use

Another important strategy to combat antibiotic resistance is to improve the diagnosis of infections. Rapid and accurate identification of the causative pathogen and its antibiotic sensitivity can reduce unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

The DARTS team is working on a diagnostic method that uses microfluidics and microscopy to analyze how individual microbes respond to different treatments. The goal is to be able to go from blood sample to diagnosis and resistance profile in less than an hour, which would be a major advance compared to current methods.

Immunomodulatory treatments

Researchers are also exploring the possibility of enhancing the body's own immune system as a way to reduce the need for antibiotics. By "recalibrating" the immune response, researchers hope to restore the body's ability to handle infections without antibiotics in many cases.

Studies are underway to test immunomodulatory treatments, such as natural immune-stimulating substances, to improve the immune system's ability to fight infections. If these treatments lead to reduced antibiotic use, it can also reduce the pressure on microbes to develop resistance.

Combination treatments and new target mechanisms

Researchers are also investigating the possibility of using combinations of drugs to combat resistant infections. By using multiple drugs simultaneously, synergistic effects can be achieved and potentially block the development of resistance to individual antibiotics.

In addition, molecules that do not directly kill microbes but can help antibiotics work better are being studied. An example is substances that interfere with bacteria's ability to communicate or form biofilms, which can make them more vulnerable to antibiotics or immune system cells.

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