One of the nightmare scenarios being faced by medical researchers is the advent of so-called superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Some have suggested that the development is so dire that the world faces a prospect of plagues of these superbugs killing millions in the latter part of this century unless a solution is found.
Some researchers at Oregon State University think they may have found an answer to superbugs. They have developed a molecule called peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer or PPMO for short that helps to overcome the resistance of superbugs to anti-biotics. It inhibits the expression of an enzyme called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1 that is accompanied by genes that give a superbug its resistance to anti-biotics.
The researchers have tested the molecule in vitro in combination with a common antibiotic called meropenem to fight three different types of bacteria that have the NDM-1 enzyme. They also conducted a mouse study that showed that a combination of PPMO and meropenem was effective in combating a resistant strain of E. coli.
One of the problems with the advent of superbugs is that researchers are running out of antibiotics that are capable of killing them. The more drugs that are used to combat bacteria, the more they evolve to resist them. So, instead, the OSU researchers have found a way to attack the resistance mechanism itself and cause old antibiotics to become productive again. No word exists yet when this breakthrough in biotechnology will start human trials or when it will be available in a clinical setting.
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