Insight

Maria Babak: An exciting pathway for addressing antibiotic resistance and chronic infections

Maria (Masha) Babak/LinkedIn

Dec 25, 2024, 23:29

Maria Babak: An exciting pathway for addressing antibiotic resistance and chronic infections

Maria Babak, Head of The Babak Lab and an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong, shared a post by The Babak Lab on LinkedIn, adding:

“The combination of AI and experimental biology in this study showcases an exciting pathway for addressing antibiotic resistance and chronic infections.

Repurposing drugs like semapimod could be a game-changer, especially for tackling dormant bacteria that traditional antibiotics often miss.

This approach not only accelerates the discovery process but also emphasizes how interdisciplinary innovation can transform healthcare.

What other ways do you think AI could revolutionize drug discovery?

Let’s discuss!”

Quoting The Babak Lab’s post:

“New Horizons in Antibiotic Discovery: Tackling Dormant Bacteria.

Chronic infections and antibiotic resistance are two of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today.

A recent study published in Cell Chemical Biology introduces an innovative approach to addressing these issues by targeting metabolically dormant bacteria—cells that conventional antibiotics often fail to kill.

Here’s what stands out:

Semapimod, a repurposed anti-inflammatory drug, selectively permeates the outer membranes of dormant Gram-negative bacteria, effectively killing them.
Researchers combined stationary-phase screening with deep learning to identify potent, low-toxicity compounds.
This research demonstrates how integrating AI with experimental biology can uncover novel solutions to antibiotic resistance.

Read more here.

Could repurposing existing drugs like semapimod be the key to accelerating antibiotic innovation?

How else might AI shape the future of drug discovery?

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspectives and join the discussion in the comments.”

Maria Babak

Dr. Maria (Masha) Babak is the Head of The Babak Lab and an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong. In November 2020, she joined the City University of Hong Kong as an assistant professor. Dr. Babak received the Graeme Hanson-AsBIC Early Career Award in 2022.

Her research interests are at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine, with a focus on the discovery and preclinical development of anticancer drugs for resistant and aggressive cancers with limited treatment options, such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and brain metastases. She received the Yvonne Award by OncoDaily in the “mentorship” category.