The Bacterial Diseases, Food Safety and General Microbiology Special Emphasis Panel [IDM (10)] reviews SBIR and STTR applications that focus on the development of therapeutic agents to combat human bacterial infections, the development of diagnostic tools to detect bacterial pathogens, technologies to protect food and water from infectious contamination, and general microbiology.

Specific areas covered by IDM (10) include:

• Development of novel antibiotics or anti-infective agents
  
  
• Development of animal models for testing novel therapeutic agents that target bacterial diseases
  
  
• Development of novel therapeutic processes or interventions to combat bacterial infection or improve wound healing
  
  
• Study and detection of bacterial biofilms as related to human disease; development of agents or methods to combat biofilms in vivo and on medical devices
  
  
• Development of processes to optimize industrial production of antibacterial agents
  
  
• Development of diagnostic tools for detection of human bacterial pathogens
  
• Detection and inactivation of pathogenic bacteria in food or drinking water

IDM (10) has the following shared interests within the IDM IRG:

• With Viral and Eukaryotic Pathogens [IDM (12)]: Studies that address the sterilization of surfaces or liquids other than food products could be assigned to IDM (12).  Studies directed at food safety could be assigned to IDM (10).
  
• With Bacterial Biodefense Agents [IDM (11)]:  Studies that focus on drug therapies of bacterial biodefense agents and their toxins or bacterial detection technologies including biosensors could be assigned to IDM (11).  Studies to develop detection technologies or drug discovery for other bacterial pathogens could be assigned to IDM (10).

IDM (10) has the following shared interests outside of the IDM IRG:

• With the Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics [BCMB] IRG:  Applications that involve biochemical pathways or medicinal chemistry as they relate to the development of antibiotics, diagnostics, drug manufacturing or delivery could be assigned to IDM (10) if the research focuses on the bacterial pathogen. Those applications that focus on the chemical aspects of these processes could be assigned to BCMB.
  
  
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG:  Applications focused on the development and delivery of antimicrobial drugs that alter host gene function could be assigned to BST. Applications that focus on the biological aspects of antimicrobial drug development and testing could be assigned to IDM (10).
  
  
• With the Genes, Genomes and Genetics [GGG] IRG: Applications that utilize molecular genetics techniques for drug or molecular diagnostic development could be assigned to IDM (10), if the focus is on the bacterial pathogen. Studies in which the results will be broadly applicable across kingdoms (i.e., crosscutting studies) could be assigned to GGG.
  
  
• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG:  Applications focused on the immune response to bacterial infection could be assigned to IMM. Those applications focused on bacterial infectious agents that utilize immunological reagents (i.e. antibodies) as a therapeutic agent or diagnostic tool, or those in which the immune response is not the primary focus, could be assigned to IDM (10).