Matters Microbial #93: Preventing Antibiotic Resistance May 29, 2025

Today's episode was an in-person podcast at the University of Texas Austin! Dr. Despoina Mavridou, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biosciences, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how her research group improves antibiotic effectiveness by impeding protein folding, and why this matters in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Despoina Mavridou

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Links for this episode

• Here is a link to a wonderful video of the #LuxArt by UT-Austin students during my visit. Please give it watch and enjoy the creativity and positive #MicrobialPR.
• An effective TED talk by science journalist Maryn McKenna describing the threat of AMR in an accessible fashion.
• A CDC report on the growing threat of AMR.
• A review article about antibiotics.
• An overview of how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
• A very recent review of the cell wall of bacteria—often the target of antibiotics.
• A video overview of beta-lactam antibiotics and resistance mechanisms.
• An overview of how protein folding is related to activity of proteins…including AMR gene products.
• A wonderful article by Dr. Mavridou and coworkers, describing how altering protein folding in bacteria can make them more vulnerable to antibiotics.
• A less technical version of the above article; well worth your reading.
• Dr. Mavridou's faculty website.
• Dr. Mavridou's research group website, which is most interesting.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

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