Project

Drug repurposing for inhibiting pathogenic biofilms and potentiating the activity of antibiotics

Acronym
DRIPBEAT
Code
41I08921
Duration
01 March 2022 → 29 February 2024
Funding
European funding: framework programme, Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Bacteriology
    • Infectious diseases
    • Compound screening
Keywords
biofilm
 
Project description

Bacterial biofilms (BB) are clusters of bacteria embedded in their own matrix, associated with chronic infections with higher tolerance to antibiotics. Secondary messenger cyclic di-GMP (cdGMP) promotes biofilm formation and is a potential target in the BB disruption strategies. The EU-funded DRIPBEAT project aims to repurpose drugs for targeting the cdGMP pathway and biofilms, increasing the antibiotic susceptibility of clinically important Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The interdisciplinary study will combine next-generation sequencing technology and protein structural modelling in a murine model of lung epithelial cell infection. The results will provide new insights into the cdGMP pathway and the selection of appropriate compounds for BB treatment.