Bioprospecting Novel Antimicrobials: Screening Animal Defense Mechanisms for Solutions to Drug-Resistant Pathogens
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/jaz.v43i1.5270Keywords:
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Bioprospecting, Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs), Innate Immunity, Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Pathogens, Metagenomics, Drug Discovery, Economic Burden.Abstract
The escalating crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) poses a critical threat to global health and economic stability, demanding urgent discovery of new therapeutic agents. Conventional antibiotic pipelines are drying up, necessitating a pivot toward evolutionarily optimized natural sources. This article explores the vast and largely untapped potential of Animal Defense Mechanisms (ADMs)—particularly Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs)—derived from diverse fauna such as insects, amphibians, and marine invertebrates. We propose an innovative integrated bioprospecting approach combining advanced metagenomics, high-throughput screening, and novel peptide engineering to rapidly identify, characterize, and optimize next-generation antimicrobials. The analysis is framed against the significant financial burden of AMR (estimated at billions of USD annually across major economies up to 2021) and offers a lead compound hypothesis: the synthetic optimization of a Crustacean-derived Penaeidin analog to enhance stability and reduce cytotoxicity. This bioprospecting strategy offers a scientifically viable path to replenish the drug pipeline and mitigate the looming post-antibiotic era.
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