(329g) The "Protein Space" Analogy Facilitates an Understanding of Complex Topics in the Evolution of Drug Resistance (INVITED SPEAKER)

Many determinants of drug resistance are proteins that acquire mutations in a stepwise fashion toward resistance to antimicrobial compounds. In this seminar, I utilize the classical analogy of “Protein Space” to discuss research into how adaptive evolution operates in negotiating fitness and resistance, across drug environments, in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Using this analogy, I offer a new perspective on concepts in pharmacology (e.g. cross-resistance, druggability) and in evolutionary biology (e.g, evolvability, epistasis). In closing, I emphasize the importance of continued dialogue between modern theory in evolutionary biology and concepts in protein biochemistry, biophysics, and engineering.