Targeting the Achilles' heel of polymyxins: eliminating the nephrotoxicity

世界正面临着越来越大的威胁，因为细菌“超级细菌”的出现对除多粘菌素以外的所有现有抗生素都具有抗药性。然而，接受静脉注射多粘菌素的患者中，高达60%会发生肾脏毒性。在这个项目中，我们将研究多粘菌素是如何引起肾脏毒性的，然后利用所获得的机制信息来减少这种不良影响。我们的研究针对的是全球迫切的未得到满足的医疗需求，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’.