Molecular strategies for overcoming antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Overuse of antibiotics in humans and livestock has led to the rapid evolution of bacteria that are resistant to multiple drugs such that even vancomycin, the drug of last resort, is no longer effective against some strains. Apart from the discovery and exploitation of the natural peptide antimicrobial agents that form part of the innate immune systems of plants and animals, there have been few new antibiotics developed in recent years. Here we review strategies designed to exploit recent advances in molecular biology, including recombinant DNA technology, molecular modelling and genomics to develop new antibacterial agents that overcome antibiotic resistance.