Antibiotics: the arms race between bacteria and humans

Antibiotics are familiar to everyone. But what really happens when we take a pill? How does it "know" what to destroy? And why are bacteria that were easily defeated by drugs just a short time ago turning into superbugs today?

At the lecture

In the lecture we'll explore the world of microorganisms and explain how bacteria are structured, why they cause disease, and how humanity has learned to fight them.

We'll get to know the "disgusting six" of the most dangerous bacterial pathogens, learn how they join forces and spread inside hospitals, and why bacteria help one another.

We'll trace the path of antibiotics from Alexander Fleming's famous moldy Petri dish to third-generation drugs and talk about how incorrect and excessive use of antibiotics helps bacteria become ever more resistant.

We'll also look into whether the "antibiotic-laden chicken" is directly linked to antibiotic resistance, and why bacteria can literally evolve before our eyes.

And most importantly — we'll talk about the arms race in which humanity tries to outpace bacteria: how new antibiotics are developed, how bacteria adapt to drugs, and why in the fight against superbugs we have to turn to the most unexpected allies — AI, bacteriophages, and even predatory bacteria.

Lecturer — Lec Borman, biology teacher, bioinformatician, formerly a researcher at the Research Institute of Molecular Biology of Armenia and at the Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Skolkovo.

Date and time

17 August (Monday) 19:00

Place

Vojvode Dobrnjca 48, Belgrade. https://maps.app.goo.gl/e9z8stFHUZdGM7u88