The Biology Seminar Series is excited to announce the next speaker in our fall semester lineup:
John L. McKillip, PhD
Professor, Department of Biology
"Our Search for Novel Antibiotics: a One Health Approach"
Friday, November 13th, @4pm in FB-101
Seminar Description: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global crisis, responsible for over 1.4 million deaths annually, with projections estimating 10 million deaths per year by 2050. The economic impact is just as severe, with estimates that treating antimicrobial resistance threats contribute to more than $4.6 billion in healthcare costs annually. With the declining efficacy of existing antibiotics, identifying new bioactive compounds from natural sources is critical. This sabbatical research presentation will overview our efforts to isolate and identify metabolites (antibiotics) with therapeutic potential against relevant pathogens known to be multi-drug resistant (MDR) as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Highlights from select graduate and undergraduate student research will be featured. Environmental samples from a local dairy farm were screened for bacteria with antimicrobial activity against six reference pathogens, a group of multidrug-resistant bacteria responsible for life-threatening infections. Selected dairy farm bacterial isolates exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against one or more of the reference pathogens and were selected for further characterization. Bioactive metabolites were extracted using organic solvents and analyzed through thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Bioautography confirmed antimicrobial activity, and genome sequencing identified one isolate as Bacillus pumilus (99.58% identity to strain 150a, GenBank CP027034.1), a species known for producing antimicrobial compounds such as pumilin. Structural and chemical analysis suggests the presence of bioactive compounds with potential antimicrobial properties. Further analysis of their functional groups and molecular structures will provide insights into the identity of the metabolite of interest, and the mechanism(s) of action and potential therapeutic applications. Additional work in our laboratory has explored insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a novel source for antimicrobials, which will be discussed as well. These findings highlight the untapped potential of diverse environmental specimens as valuable sources of antimicrobial compounds in the fight against AMR.