A resistance gene contains the information for the production of a protein that makes an antibiotic ineffective and hence confers resistance against an antibiotic to a pathogen.
Detailed description
Resistance genes are usually found on a ring-shaped piece of DNA, the plasmid. Like this, they can easily be passed on from one bacterium to another. Plants can possess resistance genes as well. They are usually directed against herbicides and pests.
Developing a new medication usually takes more than ten years. Out of the several thousand substances investigated in basic and pre-clinical research, only one or two candidates are approved by
The working group deals with the genetic analysis of tuberculosis pathogens. It uses the latest techniques of DNA sequencing (next generation sequencing) to determine the distribution of individual TB strains based on gene sequences. The molecular epidemiological data are combined with traditional ...
The rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is calling infection researchers to action. Which mechanisms protect bacteria and which methods can make them vulnerable once again? In an article
United against infections The corona pandemic has made it clear how important infection research is. However, the emergence and spread of unknown viruses such as, most recently, SARS-CoV-2 is not new
Many common antibiotics are increasingly losing their effectiveness against multi-resistant pathogens, which are becoming ever more prevalent. Bacteria use natural means to acquire mechanisms that
Salt could be a key factor in allergic immune reactions. A team working with DZIF professor Christina Zielinski at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has demonstrated in cell cultures that salt
In this project, the scientists develop genetically engineered phage lysins and specific bacteriocins for the elimination of hospital germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, they clarify mechanisms of potential resistance mechanisms, and they analyse whether broad-spectrum or specifically acting agents ...
Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)
The challenge of antibiotic drug development today is the discovery and optimisation of novel bioactive compounds that do not show cross-resistances with clinically applied antibiotics, ideally due to a novel mode of action (MoA) which adresses unexploited microbial targets. In the case of ...
