A team of researchers from Uppsala University discovered a new class of antibiotics capable of destroying multi-drug resistant bacteria, according to a study published in the scientific journal PNAS. The authors also show that it can cure infections in mice.
Antibiotics have dramatically improved the lives of people around the world. In fact, we take them for granted and rely heavily on their use to treat and prevent a variety of infections. This includes, for example, routine use to reduce the risk of infections in cancer patients, after invasive surgery or after complex deliveries and preterm babies.
Worryingly, however, the increased use threatens their effectiveness. To ensure access to effective antibiotics in the future, the development of new drugs is essential. For this reason, a team of researchers from Uppsala University have developed a new class of antibiotics targeting a protein called LpxH. This protein is by Gram-negative bacteria to synthesise their outermost layer of protection from the environment, called lipopolysaccharide.
Not all bacteria have this protein, but those that do include bacteria that are recognised as dangerous and need new treatments, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae that have already developed resistance to available antibiotics.
The team showed that the new antibiotic is active against multi-drug resistant bacteria and can treat infections in mice. Crucially, this new product targets a new protein that has never been used before and therefore there is no risk of resistance. This is in contrast with many new drugs currently in clinical trials. The results may be promising, but the authors are aware that further research is needed before the drug is ready for clinical trials.
Huseby DL, Cao S, Zamaratski E, Sooriyaarachchi S, Ahmad S, Bergfors T, Krasnova L, Pelss J, Ikaunieks M, Loza E, Katkevics M, Bobileva O, Cirule H, Gukalova B, Grinberga S, Backlund M, Simoff I, Leber AT, Berruga-Fernández T, Antonov D, Konda VR, Lindström S, Olanders G, Brandt P, Baranczewski P, Vingsbo Lundberg C, Liepinsh E, Suna E, Jones TA, Mowbray SL, Hughes D, Karlén A. Antibiotic class with potent in vivo activity targeting lipopolysaccharide synthesis in Gram-negative bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Apr 9;121(15):e2317274121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2317274121