Tiny Earth: Studentsourcing Antibiotic Discovery

Abstract

There is a dire need for new antibiotics to treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. With the assistance of the course-based research experience Tiny Earth, isolates of antibiotic-producing bacteria discovered in BIO 304 Microbiology & Its Applications during Spring 2021 at Salem State University will be further characterized. This characterization may include performing 16S rDNA PCR identification of soil isolates, characterization of the secondary metabolites from these isolates by chemical extraction and testing the metabolites on ESKAPE safe relatives to confirm growth inhibitory activity, and testing the chemical extracts on eukaryotic systems, namely cultured mammalian cells for cytotoxic effects. The ultimate goal of this analysis is to contribute potentially novel antibiotic-producing soil bacterial species to the Tiny Earth database to help in the discovery of new antibiotics.