Targeting the Achilles' heel of polymyxins: eliminating the nephrotoxicity

世界正面临越来越大的威胁，即细菌“超级细菌”的出现，这些细菌对除多粘菌素以外的所有现有抗生素都具有耐药性。然而，高达60%接受静脉注射多粘菌素的患者发生肾毒性。在这个项目中，我们将研究多粘菌素如何引起肾毒性，然后利用获得的机制信息来减少这种不利影响。我们的研究针对的是全球尚未满足的迫切医疗需求，即缺乏针对细菌“超级细菌”的新抗生素。

The world is facing a growing threat from the emergence of bacterial 'superbugs' that are resistant to all current antibiotics except the polymyxins. However, kidney toxicity occurs in up to 60% of patients receiving intravenous polymyxins. In this project, we will examine how polymyxins cause kidney toxicity then employ the obtained mechanistic information to decrease this adverse effect. Our study targets the urgent global unmet medical need, lack of new antibiotics for bacterial ‘superbugs’.