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Oral Contributed Presentation

SPR

SPR01: Plasmonic Sensing

Rapid Mechanistic Profiling of Antibacterials Using SERS and Multivariate Analysis

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
11:10 AM - 11:30 AM EDT
Location: Meeting Room #3
In fifteen words or less, explain the significance of this contribution (Novel Aspect).: Integrates SERS with PLS to rapidly identify antibacterial mechanisms, offering accurate, cost-effective MoA profiling.

Abstract Text:

The escalating threat of antibiotic and antibacterial resistance poses a serious risk to public health worldwide, emphasizing the need for new antibacterial strategies and compounds. To this end, the rapid and accurate identification of antibacterial mechanisms of action (MoA) is paramount. In this work, we present an approach that integrates surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with partial least-squares (PLS) analysis to characterize the biochemical responses of Escherichia coli to various antibacterial agents. We examinine treatments that disrupt oxidative stress pathways, metabolic activity, and membrane integrity, using PLS+SERS, achieving high predictive performance (R² > 0.98). This effort revealed distinct spectral features corresponding to each MoA. This strategy offers a faster, cost-efficient alternative to conventional techniques such as genome sequencing and mass spectrometry, with the potential to streamline and accelerate early-stage antibiotic development.