ABSTRACT
With the completion of numerous bacterial genome sequences, antibacterial drug discovery has fully entered the genomic era. The combination of genetic, genomic and biochemical methods that take advantage of improvements and innovations in genomics and high throughput screening capacity are changing the drug discovery process. Both classical and novel approaches have been established to expand the number of genes that are recognized as antimicrobial targets. Several novel approaches allow rapid, target-based screen development even when the biochemical functions of the genes are not known. Increasingly, new methods that exploit genomic information and technologies are being developed to determine mechanisms of action for novel antimicrobials and to predict any potential toxicities. The availability of a large number of antimicrobial targets and screens creates new challenges, decision points and opportunities in the search for novel antimicrobial compounds. Strategies that emerge may have general applicability for use of genomic information in other therapeutic areas.
