Decoding Resistance Gene Duplications – pursuit of novel anti-AMR targets

Antimicrobial heteroresistance (HR), is a new type of resistance found in clinical isolates. HR is defined as a population of cells in which some exhibit markedly higher levels of AMR than others. HR is caused by reversible duplications of AMR genes Due to its unstable nature, HR is intrinsically hard to diagnose and may result in treatment failure. Here, we will investigate regulatory mechanisms for HR with the overall aims to identify novel anti- HR targets through genetic screening and identify lead chemical compounds effective at inhibiting HR by screening a library of natural products. The outcome will be detailed knowledge of HR mechanisms, factors involved and a set of compounds that can counter HR, representing a novel approach for treatment of bacterial infections targeting resistance development. Our method can be adopted for systematic identification of other anti-AMR targets/compounds.