Targeting Beta-Lactamase Enzymes with Phage Display: Challenges, Advances, and Future Prospects

Abstract

The emergence of beta-lactamases has rendered antibiotics resistance, a major public health threat worldwide, which is accompanied by an enhanced capacity for morbidity and mortality due to bacterial infections. This review has identified the mechanisms of beta-lactam resistance and stressed the need to develop new therapeutic strategies and drugs. Phage display technology has been identified as a potential technique for the discovery of novel beta-lactamase inhibitors, thereby enabling the rapid and systematic analysis of peptide and protein libraries. We have discussed the theory of phage display, the processes involved in identifying inhibitors through it, and the difficulties in moving the discoveries to clinical practice. The review of the literature has identified some critical weaknesses, including the complexity of the protein interactions, the rapid bacterial resistance mechanisms, and the challenges in the drug development pipeline. From the available information and the latest developments, this review aims to discuss how phage display technology can be used to fight antibiotic resistance and develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics.