Supercomputers Used to Create Synthetic, Germ-Fighting Compounds

Since studies indicate that bacteria have little or no ability to resist antimicrobial peptides, one of the most fascinating possibilities of this finding is the creation of new forms of antibiotics to fight bacteria that have become resistant or immune to conventional drugs. Scientists are now utilizing supercomputers to design and create synthetic small organic molecules and polymers--easier to make than peptides--that have the same mechanism of action as host defense proteins and with similar germ-fighting ability.

Based on the success of this research, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, USA) filed for several patents and spun off of a biotech company named PolyMedix, Inc. (Radnor, PA, USA) to investigate the possibilities for useful applications as both novel therapeutic antibiotic drugs and as antimicrobial polymers for biomaterials applications.

These investigational antibiotic agents are the first of their kind to directly address the serious medical problem of bacterial drug resistance. The host defense proteins work essentially differently from all other known antibiotics: they punch holes directly in bacterial cell membranes, via a biophysical instead of a biochemical mechanism of action, in ways that makes resistance unlikely to develop. Up to now, data from a phase I study demonstrate that the compound is safe, and well-tolerated single doses were achieved at levels suggesting a beneficial therapeutic index. Additional clinical development will continue for the initial indication for this drug as a treatment for pan-Staphylococcal infections.

Staphylococcus aureus colonizes, without infecting, up to 30% of the human population. With the superbug's ubiquity and ability to invade almost any environment, no place is considered a safe haven against this deadly bacteria. Drug-resistant bacterial infections are one of the most significant medical problems facing the global population. Once typically thought of as a cure-all, antibiotics were the initial line of defense. Unfortunately, bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics due to overuse. While antibiotics-resistant superbugs are indeed a terrifying medical development, these newer innovative therapies suggest they are not invulnerable.

Related Links:
University of Pennsylvania
PolyMedix