[DDR Roster]

The Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Resistance Study Section reviews applications that are concerned with the identification of novel antimicrobial agents, including agents that could be used in bioterrorism, for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and the study of the evolution, mechanisms, and transmission of resistance.

Specific areas covered by DDR:

• Target identification, characterization and validation
• Assay development
• Development of novel screening methods
• Molecular characterization of inhibitors
• Studies of the mechanisms and regulation of antimicrobial resistance
• Studies of the emergence, dissemination, and maintenance of resistance; including the identification of environmental reservoirs in hospitals and the community
• Molecular characterization of resistant pathogens
• Strategies for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance
• Structure-guided drug design
• Preclinical studies that involve animal models
• Development of procedures and instruments
• Viral gene delivery, expression vectors, and phage therapy

DDR has the following shared interests within the IDM IRG:

• With Prokaryotic Cell and Molecular Biology [PCMB]: The biology of mobile genetic elements could be considered in PCMB or BACP.  Studies of mobile genetic elements could be referred to DDR if they specifically address antimicrobial resistance.
  
  
• With Bacterial Pathogenesis [BACP]: Studies that emphasize antimicrobial target identification and validation could be referred to BACP.  Whereas, applications on target identification, characterization and validation could be considered in DDR if the focus is the antimicrobial agent rather than the target.
  
  
• With Pathogenic Eukaryotes [PTHE]: Studies that include antimicrobial target identification and validation could be referred to PTHE.  Whereas studies of target identification, characterization and validation could be referred to DDR if the focus of the proposal is on the antimicrobial agent, rather than the target.
  
  
• With Virology A [VIRA] and Virology B [VIRB]: If the focus of an application is identification of an antiviral drug target or use of a drug to study basic mechanisms of virus infection, assignment could be to VIRA or VIRB.  If the focus is drug development or drug resistance, assignment could be to DDR.
  
  
• With Clinical Research and Field Studies of Infectious Diseases [CRFS]: Applications that devise clinical trials to test the efficacy of antimicrobial agents could be assigned to CRFS. Applications that focus on the preclinical aspects of drug discovery and development could be referred to DDR.

DDR has the following shared interests outside the IDM IRG:

• With the Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics [BCMB] IRG:  Applications concerned with chemical syntheses could be referred to BCMB, while those determining structure-activity relationships could go to either DDR or BCMB.
  
  
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: Applications to use existing viral gene delivery and expression vectors could be assigned to DDR or to another relevant disease- or organ-specific IRG, as appropriate.  Proposals to design and test improved virus gene delivery and expression vectors could be assigned to BST. 
  
  
• With the Digestive Sciences [DIG] IRG: Applications seeking to identify or characterize new antimicrobial drugs could be assigned to DDR.  Applications where the primary focus is on the disposition (absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion) of xenobiotics, including pharmaceutical agents, or their toxicological effects on the host, may be appropriate for the DIG IRG.