The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) invests in basic research to understand the biology of microbes, their behavior, and how drug resistance develops. Understanding how microbes cause disease (the process called pathogenesis) is also crucial for finding new ways to combat them. 

NIAID laboratories are at the forefront of basic, translational, and clinical research on antimicrobial resistance. Focusing on emerging public health threats, such as drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, tuberculosis, and malaria, NIAID researchers seek to understand the fundamental causes of resistance.

Clinical research projects related to antibacterial resistance focus on a variety of approaches, including evaluating the safety and effectiveness of new antimicrobial therapeutics, and developing novel prevention strategies.