Dr Mark Blaskovich … the number of patients dying from vancomycin-resistant bacteria prompted his team to look at revitalising old antibiotics.
An old drug supercharged by University of Queensland researchers has emerged as a new antibiotic that could destroy some of the world’s most dangerous superbugs.
The supercharge technique , led by Dr Mark Blaskovich and Professor Matt Cooper from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), potentially could revitalise other antibiotics.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria – superbugs – cause 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, and a UK government review has predicted this could rise to 10 million by 2050.
Dr Blaskovich said the old drug, vancomycin, was still widely used to treat extremely dangerous bacterial infections, but bacteria were becoming increasingly resistant to it.
“The rise of vancomycin-resistant bacteria, and the number of patients dying from resistant infections that cannot be successfully treated, stimulated our team to look at ways to revitalise old antibiotics,” Dr Blaskovich said.
“We did this by modifying vancomycin’s membrane-binding properties to selectively bind to bacterial membranes rather than those of human cells, creating a series of supercharged vancomycin derivatives called vancapticins.”
The rebooted vancomycin has the potential to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).
Professor Cooper said pharmaceutical companies had departed the antibiotic discovery field because new antibiotics were difficult to find and were not as lucrative as cholesterol-lowering medications or cancer treatments.
“Hence many scientists are re-engineering existing drugs to overcome bacterial resistance, rather than searching for new drugs,” he said.
“Drug development is normally focused on improving binding to a biological target, and rarely focuses on assessing membrane-binding properties.
“This approach worked with the vancapticins, and the question now is whether it can be used to revitalise other antibiotics that have lost effectiveness against resistant bacteria.
“Given the alarming rise of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the length of time it takes to develop a new antibiotic, we need to look at any solution that could fix the antibiotic drug discovery pipeline now,” Professor Cooper said.
Learn more: Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugs
The Latest on: Supercharged antibioticx
August 14, 2019 - Supercharging the Band-Aid: Five futuristic bandages that could take wound healing to the next level New AtlasA number of research groups around the world have already produced promising experimental versions of futuristic bandages that could take our healing game ...
August 13, 2019 - Cryotherapy FAQ WebMDWhole body cryotherapy is a growing trend at spas and wellness centers, thanks in part to its popularity among athletes and celebrities. But it can be risky, and ...Otology Sponges Market In-Depth Analysis & Forecast 2018 – 2028 - Rapid News Network
September 6, 2019 - Otology Sponges Market In-Depth Analysis & Forecast 2018 – 2028 Rapid News Network“Immense Care has been taken to Present Data with the Highest Levels of Accuracy in the Report”. Otology sponges are cotton balls used after otology surgery.
September 5, 2019 - Staphylococcal Infection Drugs Market Key Trends/Opportunities/Challenges and Key Players 2028 SocioHeraldGlobal Staphylococcal Infection Drugs Market: Overview. The demand within the global staphylococcal infection drugs market has been rising on account of the ...
Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugs - Science Daily
January 5, 2018 - Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugs Science DailyAn old drug supercharged by researchers has emerged as a new antibiotic that could destroy some of the world's most dangerous superbugs. The supercharge ...
Lung Infections Market Demand Drives by 2017 to 2025 - Rapid News Network
September 6, 2019 - Lung Infections Market Demand Drives by 2017 to 2025 Rapid News NetworkLung Infections Market: Snapshot. The treatment for lung infections has conventionally been led by small molecule therapies. These therapies however, were ...
September 3, 2019 - Epidermolysis Bullosa Therapeutics Market Competitive Environment and Higher Growth Rate with Forecast to 2028 SocioHeraldGlobal Epidermolysis Bullosa Therapeutics Market: Overview. Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic diseases skin tissue. The skin of people suffering ...
Cannabidiol is a powerful new antibiotic - Medical Xpress
June 24, 2019 - Cannabidiol is a powerful new antibiotic Medical XpressNew research has found that Cannnabidiol is active against Gram-positive bacteria, including those responsible for many serious infections (such as ...
Toxic Shock Market Listing Product Drawbacks 2025 - SocioHerald
September 6, 2019 - Toxic Shock Market Listing Product Drawbacks 2025 SocioHeraldGlobal Toxic Shock Market: Snapshot. The toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an acute and multi-system illness caused by toxin-producing genus of Gram-positive ...
Repurposed drugs could cure these antibiotic-resistant infections - Medical Xpress
June 26, 2019 - Repurposed drugs could cure these antibiotic-resistant infections Medical XpressWith antimicrobial resistance on the rise, many infections once easily treated are becoming fatal. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is to blame for more ...
- Could superbugs on the International Space Station mutate into a new breed of 'supercharged' killer?on November 27, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Previous studies have shown that when exposed to conditions in space, bacterial mutation can become 'supercharged' as they adapt to ... intensive care wards - and they have high resistance to ...
- Supercharged antibioticson January 13, 2018 at 6:22 am
There's a lot of worry in the medical community about antibiotic resistant bugs - these bacteria cause 700,000 deaths a year and that number's expected to get a lot worse in the years to come. So a ...
- Fighting Superbugs With Supercharged Drugson January 11, 2018 at 3:12 am
Scientists in Australia have developed a method to supercharge antibiotics to turn the tide against some ... creating a series of supercharged vancomycin derivatives called vancapticins.” The rebooted ...
- Fighting superbugs with ‘supercharged’ antibioticson January 8, 2018 at 1:40 am
Scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia are attacking antibiotics-resistant bacteria by teaching an old drug new tricks. The drug is the antibiotic vancomycin, and the team has early ...
- Scientists Create Supercharged Antibiotics To Fight Drug-Resistant Superbugson January 5, 2018 at 8:33 am
Scientists say they have powered up an old antibiotic to help in the fight against drug-resistant infections. The team manipulated the antibiotic, vancomycin, so that it attaches itself specifically ...
- Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugson January 5, 2018 at 6:01 am
An old drug supercharged by University of Queensland researchers has emerged as a new antibiotic that could destroy some of the world’s most dangerous superbugs. The supercharge technique , led by Dr ...
- Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugson January 4, 2018 at 4:00 pm
An old drug supercharged by researchers has emerged as a new antibiotic that could destroy some of the world's most dangerous superbugs. The supercharge technique potentially could revitalize other ...
- Drugs Supercharged With Quantum Dots Could Reverse Antibiotic Resistanceon October 4, 2017 at 11:35 am
Bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics are a growing—and alarming—problem. A new solution comes from an unexpected place: light-activated chemicals that supercharge antibiotics so that ...
- Supercharged Vancomycin Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteriaon May 30, 2017 at 3:54 pm
One of the most-used antibiotics in the world has been given an addition, making it far more lethal to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In a world desperately running out of defenses against bacterial ...
- Scientists supercharge old antibiotic in fight against bacterial resistanceon May 29, 2017 at 9:08 pm
The new supercharged vancomycin was successfully tested on a vancomycin-resistant form of Enterococci bacteria. The researchers estimate this new modified form of the antibiotic has a 1,000-fold ...
via Google News and Bing News
