Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. In this context, developing antibiotics against resistant Gram-negative pathogens has proven particularly difficult due to their special dense membrane that prevents molecules from penetrating the cell. A breakthrough discovery by the Hergenrother lab in UI Chemistry showed that addition of a positive charge can help the antibiotic overcome this barrier. Using newly developed method used in NAMD simulations, the center researchers showed how the introduced charge helps antibiotics cross the membrane. Center researchers also provide mechanistic insight on gating transitions for proteins responsible for antibiotic permeation. The obtained microscopic picture could help design effective antibiotics against resistant bacteria. Read more in Chemical Science, PNAS and in UI press release.