# A Novel Screen for Antibacterials that Are Non-Toxic to Mammals

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · 2020 · $462,000

## Abstract

   
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a critical need for novel therapeutics to treat antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Historically, antibiotics were identified in screen using whole bacteria. Over the past 20 years, there has instead been intensive biochemical screening that targets bacterial molecules, an approach that has often identified compounds with significant barriers in either the pathogen or the mammalian host, including an inability to enter or remain within host or pathogen cells, destruction by the host or pathogen, or host cytotoxicity. We have therefore developed a quantitative, image-based high content screen that excludes compounds with undesirable properties because it uses whole, virulent, bacteria growing within mammalian cells. We propose to use this screen to identify therapeutics that target nonessential bacterial virulence factors and will be effective against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9828740
- **Project number:** 5R33AI121365-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
- **Principal Investigator:** Corrella S Detweiler
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $462,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-12-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9828740

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9828740, A Novel Screen for Antibacterials that Are Non-Toxic to Mammals (5R33AI121365-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9828740. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*