The 54th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) will be held in Washington, D.C. from September 5– 9, 2014. We have assembled a pre-meeting listing of highlights based on presentation titles and abstracts that were released. We also compiled a list of upcoming large impact catalysts for related indications. In vitro and preclinical data from beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations may provide insight into potential clinical outcomes for these agents, which have particular potential in treating highly resistant Gram-negative infections. Sponsors are presenting data from early-phase candidates for Clostridium difficile infections; given the increasing virulence of circulating C. difficile strains, these may help stock the anaerobic antibiotic arsenal. Several antibiotics targeting atypical organisms may stock the anti- mycobacterial and anti-gonococcal pipelines. For our disclosures, please read the BioMedTracker Research Standards.