Recent Advances in Anti-Infective Drug Discovery - Online First

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global public health and economic stability, driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human medicine, veterinary practice, and agriculture. The spread of resistance mechanisms, such as enzymatic degradation, efflux pumps, and horizontal gene transfer, further exacerbates this issue, particularly in low-resource settings.

This review aims to summarize the current understanding of antimicrobial resistance, including its molecular mechanisms, global challenges, economic burden, and innovative mitigation strategies such as antimicrobial stewardship, phage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, and CRISPR-based approaches.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted using scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to gather recent studies, reviews, and guidelines related to AMR. Relevant data on resistance mechanisms, global trends, clinical implications, and mitigation strategies were synthesized to provide an integrated overview of current challenges and solutions.

The review highlights how AMR contributes to increased mortality, prolonged illness, and healthcare costs, while barriers such as limited antibiotic research and diagnostic capacity hinder progress. Integrated approaches, including antimicrobial stewardship, vaccination, phage therapy, and CRISPR-based therapies, are essential to reduce resistance. Additionally, global initiatives like surveillance systems and public awareness campaigns play a vital role in controlling the spread of resistant infections.

Addressing AMR requires coordinated global efforts involving stewardship programs, novel therapeutics, education, and surveillance systems. Sustainable action can reduce antibiotic misuse and delay resistance development, securing effective treatments for future generations.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains a major public health concern, especially in Asia and the Western Pacific, where more than 3 billion people are at risk. Despite advances in vaccine development, challenges such as viral strain diversity, limited cross-protection, and access barriers persist. JE directly impacts economic development because disease patterns are influenced by factors such as healthcare infrastructure, surveillance, vaccine availability, and agricultural trends across low-, middle-, upper-, and high-income countries. Current vaccines primarily target genotype III strains, but genotype I has become dominant in many endemic areas, raising concerns about vaccine efficacy. Furthermore, the need for booster doses, cold chain storage requirements, and high production costs all contribute to limited immunization coverage. Recent innovations, including thermostable formulations, multivalent vaccines, and mRNA-based candidates, offer promising solutions for JE prevention. Global initiatives by organizations such as WHO, GAVI, and PATH have played a critical role in increasing vaccine accessibility, yet gaps remain in achieving universal coverage. This review addresses the progress, challenges, and emerging strategies in JE vaccine development, emphasizing the importance of innovative approaches to ensure global protection against this life-threatening disease.

Thymosins are a group of immunomodulatory peptides secreted by the thymus. They play an important role in immune function by inducing T-cell expression and inhibiting viral replication. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by coronavirus, there has been renewed interest in their activity, resulting in a revival of patents claiming the use of thymosin to combat coronavirus. This article reviews patents on the therapeutic application of thymosin peptides against viruses. Conventionally, thymosin is administered via injection or infusion; however, recent research has explored alternative routes, including oral formulations. Thymosin administration is used to complement antiviral drug treatments. Similarly, recent antiviral regimens against SARS-CoV-2 may be supplemented with thymosin based on its proven immunopotentiating activity.

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a common eye infection caused by bacteria, posing significant treatment challenges due to rising antibiotic resistance and the limitations of traditional therapies. Standard treatments, including topical antibiotics, often suffer from issues such as poor bioavailability, limited effectiveness, and patient adherence. Nanotechnology offers an innovative approach, providing potential solutions for more effective drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapeutic interventions.

The objective of this study is to explore the role of nanotechnology in improving the management of bacterial conjunctivitis. Specifically, it examines how nanostructured drug carriers, such as nanoparticles, nanogels, and liposomes, can enhance ocular drug delivery and therapeutic outcomes. A key focus is on the influence of the hydrodynamic radius (Rh) in optimizing stability, solubility, and bioavailability.

Nanotechnology has shown promise in improving the delivery of drugs for bacterial conjunctivitis by enhancing ocular penetration and prolonging the release of active agents. The hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of nanoparticles plays a critical role in stabilizing the colloidal structure of the formulation, preventing aggregation and sedimentation. Furthermore, optimizing Rh can increase the surface area-to-volume ratio, which is beneficial for improving the solubility of poorly soluble drugs, thereby enhancing their bioavailability. Nanotechnology-based systems can also enable the development of diagnostic tools, such as nanosensors, capable of quickly and accurately detecting bacterial pathogens, facilitating timely, targeted treatments and reducing unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The precise control of nanoparticle Rh enhances drug stability, bioavailability, and sustained release, ultimately improving patient compliance and therapeutic efficacy.

The future of bacterial conjunctivitis treatment is promising, with further research focused on optimizing nanoparticle characteristics such as size, surface modification, and targeted drug delivery. However, challenges remain, particularly concerning the safety of nanoparticles, including potential risks to ocular tissues and long-term effects. Continued research, including in vitro and in vivo studies as well as clinical trials, is essential to establish the safety and clinical viability of these nanotechnology-based systems. With further advancements, nanotechnology could revolutionize treatment strategies for bacterial conjunctivitis, offering more targeted, patient-centered, and effective solutions for managing ocular infections and combating antibiotic resistance.