Researchers at Sirius University have engineered functional molecules that heighten bacterial sensitivity to antibiotics. This development was shared with socialbites.ca by the press service of the national initiative “Science and Universities.”
The overuse of antibiotics in medical care and farming has fueled a crisis: bacteria are evolving resistance at an alarming pace. Today, antibiotic resistance ranks among the most serious global threats to effectively treating bacterial infections, prompting scientists worldwide to seek solutions.
In response, Sirius University scientists proposed a novel strategy. Rather than introducing a new antibiotic, they created a booster compound that amplifies the impact of many antibiotics already used in clinical settings.
As a result, the product can boost the efficacy of existing antibiotics against multidrug‑resistant pathogens and help curb the spread of resistance.
The molecules work by blocking the pathogen’s defense systems against diverse antibiotics. A key mechanism involves hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production, which shields bacteria from oxidative stress. The primary enzyme driving H2S synthesis is cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE). Disrupting H2S biogenesis sensitizes a broad range of pathogens to multiple bactericidal drug classes.
“The study focused on bacteria strains that resist most known antibiotics. These strains often cause fatal hospital infections that can lead to sepsis. Adding a bCSE inhibitor made antibiotics effective again, killing the pathogens. It also showed that bacterial tolerance to antibiotics could be reduced,” explained Anastasia Golovina, a researcher at the Scientific Center for Translational Medicine, to socialbites.ca.
In the near term, the team plans to test the new boosters in animal models that study sepsis, pneumonia, and wound infection to gauge real-world potential.
Earlier work highlighted the possibility of safe chemotherapy against superbugs, marking a milestone in the ongoing fight against resistance.