On this episode of the Science From the Fringe podcast, Bryce Nickels speaks with his Rutgers colleague and long-time collaborator Richard Ebright (Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University) about the emerging threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Ebright discusses how his research on bacterial RNA polymerase led him to uncover new compounds with therapeutic potential. He shares why the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers is referred to as the “birthplace of antibiotics,” reflects on what ended the “golden era” of antibiotic discovery, and explains how modern medicine could collapse if society doesn’t address the emerging threat of antibiotic resistance.

Ebright also describes how market failures and policy neglect have stalled innovation—and why he believes policymakers continue to fail the public writ large.

Other topics include the potential use of engineered, multi-drug-resistant bacteria as bioweapons, the limits of phage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics, and the ethical parameters of animal testing in drug research.

(Recorded October 12, 2025)

Timestamps

00:38 – Introduction of Richard Ebright02:16 – Research on RNA synthesis and antibiotic discovery10:52 – The global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)16:57 – How AMR evolves through natural selection19:55 – Why new antibiotics are urgently needed22:12 – Top bacteria causing 11% of global disease burden23:30 – Drivers of AMR: human, livestock, and crop use25:35 – Biodefense funding after 9/11 and its impact on AMR27:29 – Market failures and underfunding of antibiotic R&D29:47 – Rutgers’ antibiotic legacy and Selman Waksman’s role33:12 – End of the “golden era” of discovery35:59 – Why Big Pharma abandoned antibiotic research41:33 – Ebright’s policy solution – delinking revenue from sales45:49 – The Pasteur Act – goals and reasons it failed48:33 – Limitations of phage therapy for bacterial infections53:36 – Dual-use risks – engineered resistant bacteria and bioweapons56:32 – Animal testing and ethics in drug development01:06:17 – APY Therapeutics – Ebright’s new antibiotic startup01:16:36 – Closing thoughts – preserving modern medicine with new antibiotics

intro and outro by Tess Parks

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