Overbye-Abstract

Infections caused by drug resistant bacteria can strike anyone.   
In 2004 the IDSA reported that ~2 million people a year in the United States 
are treated for bacterial infections and 90,000 of these patients die from their 
infections.  At that time the majority of the infecting bacteria were resistant 
to at least one antibiotic.  The mortalitiy rate and resistance profile has not 
improved.

How and where will the new antibiotics be discovered?  This talk will 
focus on what makes a successful antibiotic. We will examine the antibiotics that 
have been in the clinic the longest and can we learn something about what makes 
a drug maintain its effectiveness?   We will examine drug targets, their mode of 
action, spontaneous mutation and consider resistance development.  Will we continue 
to have incremental improvements in therapeutic agents or will it be possible to 
find the next novel super drug?  Consideration will be given to the potential 
role of diagnostics in the future of drug therapy.