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Antimicrobial Screening Facility

Antimicrobial screening is the first step of antimicrobial drug discovery to identify suitable candidates against bacterial and fungal infections. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing ascertains the effectiveness of candidates against a panel of target organisms, such as the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species), or custom selections of clinically or industrially relevant microorganisms. Toxicity studies towards representative mammalian cell lines provide an initial assessment of suitability for clinical use and can be used to narrow the pool of candidates to those that are selectively active against microbes. Risk assessment of antimicrobial resistance generation evaluates the effective lifespan of a candidate drug.

Applications:

Typical measurements include Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBCs) against a panel of pathogens, Mammalian Cell Culture toxicity assays against relevant cell lines, followed by sub-MIC resistance generation and mutation rate calculations.

High throughput MIC hit detection and synergy screening of compound libraries is also possible using a robotic liquid handling platform.

Typical samples include, but are not limited to, small molecules, natural products, peptides, metallocompounds and polymers.

Sample handling requirements:

A minimum of 3mg is required per standard test. DMSO or ddH2O are the preferred solvents.

All compounds supplied will be handled according to GLP.

Please feel free to ask if you are unsure, or if there are any additional safety requirements.

Complementary techniques:

High throughput screening, Proteomics RTP, microfluidics/microscopy (WISB), infection models (Freya Harrison Cystic Fibrosis, Liz Fullam Tuberculosis, Meera Unnikrishnan Skin Wound), structural biology/NMR (Medicines Discovery Catapult)

Warwick Capability:

The Warwick Antimicrobial Interdisciplinary Centre (WAMIC) brings together over 50 researchers investigating AMR across the scales: from small molecule therapeutics to bacterial targets, from rapid diagnositics to predictive epidemiology. WAMIC can provide expert guidance in several areas including synthetic chemistry, natural products, alternative antimicrobials, pharmacokinetics, structural biology and antimicrobial target characterisation.

Visit the Antimicrobial Screening Facility website

Contact:

Claire Gerard: 07385 145064 / claire.gerard@warwick.ac.uk 

AMR Screening Facility:
AMRscreening@warwick.ac.uk

Typical results format, and sample:
Status
Availability
 f Warwick can help with experimental design and implementation
f Warwick collect/analyse data
f Warwick test compound
f Report provided to user with analysis
 

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