A synthetic molecule can replace an antibiotic

A polymer molecule can replace an antibiotic and fight resistant bacteria that kill hundreds of thousands of people a year. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be treated with a polymer molecule. If researchers can prove the safety of such treatment, then doctors can have a new effective method of fighting dangerous fatal infections.

A group of scientists from the IBM Almaden Research Center (USA) and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (Singapore) presented a polymer molecule that can fight bacteria that are not susceptible to antibiotics.

According to the World Health Organization, about 700 thousand people die of resistant bacteria every year in the world, and the number of antibiotic-resistant infections increases. Currently, there are no new antibiotics to replace those that are already ineffective. Of the approximately 33 antibiotics tested, only eight are innovative. The other 25 are only short-term solutions, not real therapy.
In the framework of the IBM study on the development of synthetic polymers for medical purposes, launched in 2012, a team of researchers presented a polymer molecule that can be used to combat deadly bacterial infections.
A synthetic molecule developed at the Almaden Research Center carries a negative electric charge and acts as a magnet for positively charged surfaces of infectious cells. The polymer molecule binds to the cell, pierces the membrane, enters it and turns the contents of the cell into solid particles. Bacteria are destroyed quickly, and they do not have time to mutate and develop resistance to such mechanical effects.

Ultimately, scientists plan to create a completely new class of therapeutic agents that could treat the spectrum of infectious diseases with a single mechanism – without the onset of resistivity.

The researchers successfully tested the polymers in mice infected with five difficult-to-treat bacteria. Bacteria died, no toxic side effects were observed – for three days the polymers decomposed and were eliminated from the body. This is an especially important part of the study, since earlier versions of synthetic molecules “exploded” bacteria, releasing dangerous toxins into the bloodstream.
Also, a team of researchers found that bacteria do not develop resistance even after several treatments with a polymer.

The next stage of the study is to show that the polymer does not accumulate in the body. After that, the scientists hope to unite with the pharmaceutical companies to develop the polymer for specific therapy, test it in patients and, probably, bring it to the market.