Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global health crisis, with bacterial infections ranking as the second leading cause of death worldwide. The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria has outpaced the development of new antibiotics, posing a significant threat to modern medicine.

Houston Methodist Hospital, under the leadership of Dr. Eleftherios Mylonakis, chair of the Department of Medicine, is playing a pivotal role in a groundbreaking $104 million initiative aimed at combating antibiotic resistance.

The multi-institutional effort, spearheaded by Harvard Medical School and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, seeks to develop innovative technologies for diagnosing and treating bacterial infections.

In a video feature, Dr. Mylonakis discusses his involvement in the groundbreaking project and explains his long-standing fascination with the evolutionary mechanisms of pathogen virulence.

"Why did these pathogens develop their virulence mechanisms against humans," Dr. Mylonakis asks. "If we go back and we try to study those environmental microorganisms, study how insects, worms and amoebae are able to interact and control those pathogens, maybe that can give us some tools to better treat our patients and combat antimicrobial resistance."

Click on the video above to learn more about how this question is driving innovative diagnostic technologies and treatments to address the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.