NIH funds RIT project to search for novel antibiotics to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria
A team of Rochester Institute of Technology scientists is attempting to uncover novel antibiotics that could fight the growing threat of multidrug-resistant diseases. Professor André Hudson, head of the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, received a $443,583 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Department of
Health and Human Services to isolate, identify, and characterize new antibiotics.
A 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections happen in the U.S. annually, resulting in more than 35,000 deaths. Hudson said that while bacteria have naturally developed resistance to antibiotics over time through evolution, stewardship issues exacerbate the problem, such as when doctors prescribe antibiotics for viral infections or when antibiotics are overused in animal husbandry and farming.