a new approach to combat antibiotic resistance

A cephalosporin prodrug exploits the enzymatic activity of β-lactamases to selectively suppress pathogenic, drug-resistant bacteria producing extended-spectrum-β-lactamases (ESBLs) in a mixed microbial environment.¹

Bacteria, proteins, and prodrug illustrated in Procreate; graphics assembled and organized in Adobe Illustrator.

The graphical abstract was designed for a co-authored publication.

(1) Duda, A. M.; Ma, H. R.; Villalobos, C. A.; Kuhn, S. A.; Angle, S. S.; He, K.; Jackson, A. C.; Suh, C. M.; Puccio, E. A.; Anderson, D. J.; Fowler, V. G.; You, L.; Franz, K. J. An Engineered Prodrug Selectively Suppresses β-Lactam-Resistant Bacteria in a Mixed Microbial Setting. ACS Infect. Dis. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00179.