The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens is a major health threat that is often discussed in the media. Yet, the development of new antibiotics with new working mechanisms only decreased over the past decades. Why is the generation of new antimicrobials so difficult?

In this course we will first look at the use of antimicrobials (with an emphasis on antibiotics) in the clinic and the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance among human pathogens. How do clinicians decide which antibiotics to use, how do you minimize the development and especially the spread of antibiotic resistance?
In the second part of the course we will focus on the isolation of new antibiotics. What is a good drug target? What is a good compound? And how do you set up screens to find compounds blocking these new targets?
In the last part of the course we will focus on the roadblocks and bottlenecks you will encounter once you have identified a new active compound, i.e. what factors are crucial to make a successful introduction of new compounds in the clinic.

This course aims to provide a thorough understanding of antibiotic usage and development of new antibiotics. At the same time knowledge on the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance will be provided. It aims to equip students with the specialized knowledge necessary to understand the primary literature and all different aspects of this topic.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.