Progress on compound against superbugs

British scientists say they have found a new molecular compound that works against multidrug resistant bacteria such as E. coli.

Professor Jim Thomas of the University of Sheffield, UK, and colleagues at a laboratory in Oxfordshire investigated possible new treatments for antibiotic resistant gram-negative bacteria.

The researchers tested several compounds, called ‘luminescent dinuclear RuII complexes’, that might have been effective against these bacteria, which have a cell wall that prevents drugs from getting inside.

The compound they identified appears to have several modes of action, making it more difficult for resistance to emerge in the bacteria.

Professor Thomas explains that the new compound “is luminescent and glows when exposed to light. This means the uptake and effect on bacteria can be followed by the advanced microscope techniques available at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

“This breakthrough could lead to vital new treatments to life-threatening superbugs and the growing risk posed by antimicrobial resistance.”

Full details were published yesterday (28 May) in ACS Nano. The authors hope the discovery will help fight against the many gram-negative bacteria on the World Health Organisation list of most harmful antimicrobial resistant pathogens.

The WHO says that new treatments for these bacteria are ‘Priority 1 Critical’ due to the high death rates they are responsible for each year.

Smitten, K. L. et al. Using Nanoscopy To Probe the Biological Activity of Antimicrobial Leads That Display Potent Activity against Pathogenic, Multidrug Resistant, Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS Nano 28 May 2019 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b08440

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.8b08440

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