Deciphering the tripartite interactions among Acinetobacter baumannii - macrophage - polymyxin using a multi-omics approach

Bacterial response to antibiotics is sensitive to the surrounding environment. However, how the host innate immune cell affects the response of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii towards the last-line polymyxins is largely unexplored, limiting optimisation of antibiotic therapy. In this PhD project, a tripartite in vitro model encompassing A. baumannii AB5075, human macrophages and polymyxin B was established; and a multi-omics approach was employed to decipher the complex molecular interplay and discover potential novel therapeutic targets. Several bacterial stress tolerance machineries in A. baumannii AB5075 were identified to be able to enhance the antibacterial killing by polymyxins. This project paves the way for discovery and development of novel antibacterial strategies.