[bioundgrd] FW: 7.346 - Bacteria Fight Back

[Crystal Boateng]

Bacteria Fight Back – How Bacteria Evade Treatment and Novel Strategies to Outwit Themis being offered this Spring. See the attached flyer or contact the instructors for more information. A description of the class is below:


Spring 2017. Thursdays, 3 pm - 5 pm. (Class day and time are flexible.) Room 68-121 *moved from 68-150.
Instructors:
Julie Silverman (silverjm at mit.edu<mailto:silverjm at mit.edu>, 617-253-1834, laboratory of Barbara Imperiali)
Michele LeRoux (leroux_m at mit.edu<mailto:leroux_m at mit.edu> , 617-253-3677, laboratory of Michael Laub)

Bacteria and fungi have been producing antibiotics, small molecules that can kill or prevent growth of competing bacteria, since long before humans walked the earth. The discovery of antibiotics and the realization that they could cure bacterial infections radically changed modern medicine. The use of these molecules in the clinic has saved countless lives by eradicating infections that were previously impossible to treat, including syphilis, strep throat and tuberculosis. Although antibiotics were once referred to as the “wonder drugs” of modern medicine, an alarming number of drug-resistant bacteria have emerged since the beginning of the 20th century, compromising the effectiveness of these critical clinical tools. Antibiotic resistance has spread rapidly, leading to the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and threatening the start of a post-antibiotic era. This phenomenon is in large part because bacteria can evolve rapidly to withstand antibiotics, and many species can transfer genes to one another. Research into antibiotic resistance has uncovered many unique mechanisms by which bacteria protect themselves from these threats to their survival, and has also uncovered many interesting aspects of bacterial physiology. Understanding how bacteria evolve to resist antibiotics will be fundamental for the future of medicine. During this course, we will discuss many aspects of antibiotics, including examples of how particular antibiotics were discovered, specific mechanisms of bacterial resistance, and how antibiotic resistance spreads among bacteria in the environment. For example, we will learn how penicillin was discovered, and then about the resistance mechanisms that arose following its widespread use. We will also discuss antibiotic-resistant bacteria more generally and delve into the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance and the spread of such resistance mechanisms, including point mutations, efflux pumps, and horizontal gene transfer. In addition, we will introduce students to fascinating bacterial behaviors, such as biofilm growth and dormancy, which allow bacteria to become temporarily tolerant of antibiotic treatment even in the absence of classical mutational changes that confer antibiotic resistance. The course will conclude with an examination of today’s state concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance through a discussion of new pioneering work to treat infections with engineered antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophage therapies and microbiome replacement therapies such as fecal transplants. We will focus on the primary research literature, and we will learn practical laboratory techniques, experimental design and how to interpret data and critique the conclusions offered by authors. Students will have the opportunity to visit a local biotech company to learn about novel approaches to treating bacterial infections that go beyond the traditional small molecule antibiotic.

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Crystal Boateng (Pronouns: they/them/themselves)
Biology Education Office 68-120
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
31 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
ph: 617-252-1783 / f: 617-258-9329 / e: cboateng at mit.edu<mailto:cboateng at mit.edu>
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