The emergence of resistance due to the overuse or misuse of antibiotics across the globe continues to pose a threat to public health. This conference will highlight work on understanding the ecology and spread of infectious agents and innovations in screening, therapeutic modalities and new countermeasures to address the spread of organisms resistant to carbapenem or vancomycin as well as multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The focus will be on new approaches in discovery research to antibacterial therapy in the context of the challenges posed by the current commercial, regulatory and public health policy environment.