Using Combination Therapy to Thwart Drug Resistance

Abstract

Drug combination therapy is a promising strategy to extend the lifespan of our antimicrobials. Drug combinations used in treatment must be carefully selected to minimize the evolution of resistance, either by carefully determining drug pairs that hinder the acquisition of resistance mechanisms, or by screening for combinations that inhibit growth and show reduced vulnerability to resistance. Modeling of interactions between drugs has provided intriguing insights into strategies for combination therapy deployment. Ultimately, more rigorous clinical trials need to be performed to evaluate the laboratory and modeling results and advance treatment options.