Using antibiotic resistance as an opportunity to tackle bad bugs (360G-Wellcome-204337_Z_16_Z)

The emergence of bacteria that can resist antibiotics is a major health emergency. Many advances in medicine, including organ transplantation, increased survival of pre-term infants, cancer chemotherapy and surgery are dependent on antibiotics that prevent or treat infection. Antibiotics work by targeting processes that bacteria use but humans cells do not. For example, penicillin stops bacteria making cell walls, which human cells do not have. This means that penicillin can attack bacterial cells but not human cells. Unfortunately, when bacteria become resistant these bacterial processes can no longer be targeted. The aim of this project is to use antibiotic resistance itself as a target for a new type of antibiotic. One of the most important types of resistance involves a bacterial enzyme that cuts up penicillin and similar antibiotics, and stops them from working. Dr Andrew Edwards and colleagues from Imperial College London will design new antibiotics that look similar to penicillin. However, when the enzyme cuts these antibiotics they will become lethal to the bacteria. In addition to killing resistant bacteria, the project team believe that this approach will also reduce damage to the good bacteria in the body, which are often harmed by conventional antibiotics.