Multi-tiered high through-put screen for compounds effective against bacterial biofilm and compounds effective for inhibiting and eradicating bacterial biofilm

Abstract

A high through-put screening method for identifying agents effective for inhibiting biofilm formation and/or killing established biofilm are disclosed. The method includes three tiers, and each tier includes three specific biological process assays. The tier levels are a primary screen, a confirmation screen, and a dose-response screen, and the biological process assays include assays for total bacterial growth, bacterial metabolic activity, and biofilm formation. The series of assays may be run once or more than once at each tier. A library of compounds is subject to tier A and only compounds meeting a primary parameter advance to tier B, and only tier B compounds meeting a confirmation parameter advance to tier C, and only tier C compounds meeting a dose-response parameter are identified as putative agents effective for inhibiting and/or eradicating a biofilm, further wherein the assays are conducted for each compound subject to the respective tier. The method is effective and validated for identifying agents which inhibit and/or kill, andbiofilms. Agents identified according to the high through-put screen and validated in follow-up experiments as effective for inhibiting and/or killing bacterial biofilms are also disclosed.