Cellular mechanisms of drug resistance evolution (A01)

• Subject Area: Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology (Zoology)
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 325931972

The overarching goal is to predict bacterial resistance evolution under combinations of antibiotics and non-antibiotic adjuvants. We will test a broad range of non-antibiotics for their effects on antibiotic resistance evolution and characterize their impact on cell physiology. We will develop fitness models to predict how combining multiple non-antibiotics can slow down the emergence of resistance. We will validate our most promising findings in evolution experiments that mimic the interactions between bacteria and the host immune system.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1310: Predictability in Evolution
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Tobias Bollenbach; Dr. Francesca Macaluso, since 1/2026