Scientists develop new method to destroy protein in bacteria which makes it resistant to antibiotics
Scientists have developed a new method that uses light to destroy a protein in bacteria which makes it resistant to antibiotics.
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The process "rescues" the activity of existing drugs, and researchers are hopeful that it could become a "versatile tool" to help tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Experts from the Francis Crick Institute and King's College London adapted a method typically used for cancer drug discovery to target an enzyme only found in drug-resistant bacteria.
This enzyme, known as NDM-1, breaks down commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin.
The new process - dubbed Ru1 - comprises a light-activated metal which is attached to a molecule that binds to NDM-1.
When exposed to blue light in a process known as phototherapy, the metal complex produces molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause damage to these proteins.
Jeannine Hess, group leader of the biological inorganic chemistry laboratory and lecturer in the department of chemistry at King's College London, said: "Many new antibiotics are not truly new at all. They are improved versions of previous drugs, attacking bacteria in a similar way.
"This means that bacteria can quickly become resistant, but making new antibiotics from scratch, which work by different mechanisms, is challenging and time-consuming.
"We've shown that rescuing the activity of existing antibiotics, by targeting vulnerabilities in the bacteria themselves, can provide a powerful alternative strategy."
Researchers also tested Ru1 on live bacteria by incubating it with E.coli.
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They found the tool partially works in the dark, but is 30 times more effective at inactivating NDM-1 under the targeted light.
Lars Stevens-Cullinane, senior laboratory research scientist in the Biological Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, said: "We're just scratching the surface for how phototherapy and targeted damage could work to stop bacteria resisting treatment.
"We hope that, in the future, this becomes a versatile tool, where different ligands are swapped out to target other proteins of interest, in the antimicrobial resistance field or beyond."
According to Ms Hess, the method would work best on infections that are "accessible".
She added: "As blue light can't penetrate deeply into tissue, this approach is likely best suited for surface-accessible infections such as skin infections, dental applications, wound care or for sterilising medical devices, rather than treating infections deep inside the body."
Following the study, which has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, experts will test Ru1 on animal models.