Study Reveals Development Of First Living Medicine To Fight Antibiotic Resistance
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A “living medicine” designed to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been created to help battle against a growing number of superbugs.
The study was published in Molecular Systems Biology, and its findings were claimed by its researchers to be the first step for developing medicines to fight infections found in medical implants.
The aim is to tackle biofilms, colonies of bacteria that coalesce on a surface and can become resistant to antibiotics by protecting the bacteria in the centre of the film.
To tackle this, the Barcelona-based team modified a common strain of bacteria to produce two specific enzymes. One of these dissolves biofilms and the second works to attack the cell walls of bacteria, allowing other immune responses to work more effectively.
Having tested the system on infected catheters in mice, their next step is to use the modified system to treat breathing tubes and stop the risk of dangerous infections in repository systems that arise as a result.
The principle behind the use of these treatments has existed since 2015, but the expense and potential danger of administering them through currently established meant that their use was far more limited than it should have been.
By having a living medicine battle the infection, it reduces both costs and negative side effects, particularly once the logistical aspects such as production, manufacturing and life science marketing have been completed.
The next step is to ensure that the bacteria can be produced at the scale necessary to make it an effective treatment, with a proposed start date for clinical trials in 2023.