Killing intracellular pathogens with antibiotic nanocapsules

许多细菌对抗生素产生了抗药性，因此需要新的治疗方法和策略。这可能会增加抗生素向特定细胞或细胞内位置的输送，或者增加感染部位的可用抗生素数量。我们认为，使用纳米颗粒结合触发细胞内杀伤过程的化合物来包裹抗生素，可能是一种有效的针对导致败血症的细胞内病原体的方法。进行这个项目的学生将在Dstl Porton Down和南安普顿大学之间密切合作，以衡量治疗对人类和动物细胞内细菌的治疗靶向性。他们将通过纳米沉淀法开发由聚乙二醇和聚己内酯组成的各种聚合物纳米颗粒。这些新的抗生素疗法的抗菌效果将使用适当的人类病原体模型进行评估，如体外假鼻疽杆菌、图拉氏杆菌和炭疽杆菌。这个项目将让学生在生物学和工程学的界面上，以及在学术机构和政府研究实验室之间，获得一系列技能。

Many bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and so new treatments and strategies are required. These might enhance the delivery of antibiotics to specific cells or intracellular locations, or increase the amount of available antibiotic at the site of infection. We think that encapsulation of antibiotics using nanoparticles in combination with compounds that trigger intracellular killing processes, may be an effective approach in targeting intracellular pathogens that cause sepsis.The student undertaking this project will work closely between Dstl Porton Down, and the University of Southampton to measure therapeutic targeting of treatments to bacteria within human and animal cells. They will develop a variety of polymeric nanoparticles comprised of polyethylene glycol and polycaprolactone by nanoprecipitation. The antimicrobial efficacy of these novel antibiotic therapies will be assessed using models of appropriate human pathogens such as B. pseudomallei, F. tularensis and B. anthracis in vitro.This project will give the student a range of skills at the interface of biology and engineering, and between an academic institution and a government research lab.