The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Interdisciplinary Research Units (CARBIRUs) are multidisciplinary research centers focused on bacterial pathogens for which antibiotic resistance poses a significant public health concern, as designated by the CDC’s 2019 Report on Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. Each center brings together investigators from multiple disciplines to investigate non-antibiotic alternative treatment and preventive strategies, including bacteriophage, monoclonal antibodies, ligand mimetics, and defined microbial consortia; poorly understood resistance mechanisms contributing to bacterial persistence and antibiotic treatment failure; and identification and validation of novel bacterial targets for antibiotic intervention.
Main Areas of Focus
The CARBIRU program supports fundamental, collaborative research ranging from discovery to early development research activities such as the:
- Discovery and validation of viable therapeutic, diagnostic, or vaccine targets
- Identification and characterization of host factors involved in susceptibility or response to infection and/or resistance
- Elucidation of known or evolving mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and strategies to prevent emergence of resistance
- Identification and development of novel approaches to combat antibiotic-resistant infections
- Understanding the role of the microbiome and antibiotic-mediated dysbiosis in the development of resistant infections
Locations
- Baylor College of Medicine (PIs: Robert Britton, Anthony Maresso, Katherine Lemon, and Kay Patras)
- Broad Institute (PIs: Tim Van Opijnen, Vaughn Cooper, Ralph Isberg, Jason Rosch)
- Emory University (PIs: David Weiss and Bruce Levin)
- Harvard Medical School (PI: Suzanne Walker)
- Washington University: (PI: Scott Hultgren)