Killing intracellular pathogens with antibiotic nanocapsules

许多细菌正在对抗生素产生耐药性，因此需要新的治疗方法和策略。这可能会增强抗生素对特定细胞或细胞内部位的递送，或增加感染部位可用抗生素的数量。我们认为，使用纳米颗粒将抗生素与触发细胞内杀伤过程的化合物相结合，可能是针对导致败血症的细胞内病原体的有效方法。承担该项目的学生将与Dstl Porton Down和南安普顿大学密切合作，测量人类和动物细胞内细菌治疗的治疗靶向性。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多种聚合物纳米颗粒。这些新型抗生素疗法的抗菌效果将通过适当的人类病原体模型进行评估，如假杆菌、土拉菌和炭疽杆菌。这个项目将使学生掌握生物学和工程学，以及学术机构和政府研究实验室之间的一系列技能。

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.