The Pires Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry has been awarded a prestigious NIH R01 grant from NIAID to develop innovative tools for combating multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, a critical priority pathogen that poses significant threats to global public health. The research will establish a comprehensive framework for understanding how small molecules penetrate bacterial outer membranes, utilizing high-throughput screening platforms and machine learning algorithms to identify molecular permeability rules and discover new outer membrane disruptors. The project's ultimate goal is to inform the development of more effective treatments for MDR A. baumannii infections, potentially saving countless lives threatened by these increasingly dangerous pathogens.

Congrats to the Pires Lab on this phenomenal award and best of luck in your research endeavors! 

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