Pharmaceutical And Biotech Firms Taking On Drug-Resistant Microbes

Drug-Resistant Microbes As pesky pathogens continue to evolve, new technologies to combat them are emerging, spelling job opportunities for molecular biologists and chemists. OBSTINATE MICROBES: Margaret Rennels cites strains of pneumococcus resistence to two major drugs. At drug and biotech companies across the United States, scientists have set their sights on a most elusive target: drug-resistant microbes. Working in pharmaceutical- biotechnology partnerships, researchers are trying every

Written byKathryn Brown

| 9 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

9:00

Drug-Resistant Microbes As pesky pathogens continue to evolve, new technologies to combat them are emerging, spelling job opportunities for molecular biologists and chemists.

OBSTINATE MICROBES: Margaret Rennels cites strains of pneumococcus resistence to two major drugs.

At drug and biotech companies across the United States, scientists have set their sights on a most elusive target: drug-resistant microbes. Working in pharmaceutical- biotechnology partnerships, researchers are trying every trick in the book-including high-tech drug discovery, genome sequencing, and development of new vaccines-to overcome resistant pathogens.

In addition to saving lives, successful companies stand to gain a significant share of the $23 billion antibiotics market. It's an alluring combination. "In our long-term strategy, everything we're doing now is based on [disease] resistance," remarks William Kohlbrenner, manager of infectious diseases at Pfizer Inc. in New York. That sentiment is echoed throughout much of the pharmaceutical industry, he adds.

A handful of new or improved ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here