Novel nanotech improves cystic fibrosis antibiotic by 100,000-fold
Cystic fibrosis is causing severe impairments to a person’s lungs, airways and digestive system, trapping bacteria and leading to recurrent infections. Lung failure is the major cause of death for people with this disease. World-first nanotechnology developed by the University of South Australia could dramatically improve quality of live of thousands of people living with cystic fibrosis as groundbreaking research shows it can improve the effectiveness of tobramycin, increasing its efficacy by up to 100,000-fold. The new technology uses a biomimetic nanostructured material to augment tobramycin – the antibiotic prescribed to treat chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections in severe cases of cystic fibrosis – eradicating the infection in as little as two doses. A University of South Australia (UniSA) research team, which includes Professor Clive Prestidge, Dr Nicky Thomas, and PhD candidate, Chelsea Thorn, enhanced tobramycin with a biometric, nanostructured, lipid liquid crystal nanoparticle (LCNP)-based material, testing it on a new lung infection model to showcase its unique ability to penetrate the dense surface of the bacteria and kill the infection. “Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent, chronic lung infections and limits a person’s ability to breathe,” Thorn says. “The disease causes thick, sticky mucus to clog a person’s airways, attracting germs and bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which leads to recurring infections and blockages”. Tobramycin is commonly used to treat these infections but increasingly antibiotics are failing to make any significant difference to lung infections, leaving sufferers requiring life-long antibiotic therapy administered every month.
“Tobramycin works by inhibiting the synthesis of bacteria and causing cell membrane damage. Yet, as it’s a concentration-dependent antibiotic, achieving a sufficiently high concentration is critical,” Dr Thomas says. “Our technology improves the performance of tobramycin without increasing the toxicity of the drug, so what we’re doing is a far more effective and efficient treatment for chronic lung infections.” The technology is currently entering pre-clinical trials and hopes to be on the market in the next five years.
Related papers:
* Thorn, C. R., Carvalho-Wodarz, C. D., Horstmann, J. C., Lehr, C-M., Prestidge, C. A., Thomas, N., “Tobramycin liquid crystal nanoparticles eradicate cystic fibrosis-related Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms”. Small: 2021. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202100531
* Thorn, C. R., Raju, D., Lacdao, I., Gilbert, S., Sivarajah, P., Howell, P. L., Prestidge, C., Thomas, N., “Protective liquid crystal nanoparticles for targeted delivery of PslG – a biofilm dispersing enzyme”. ACS Infectious Diseases: 2021. Online ahead of print: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00014
Novel nanotech improves cystic fibrosis antibiotic by 100,000-fold
Novel nanotech improves cystic fibrosis antibiotic by 100,000-fold
Cystic fibrosis is causing severe impairments to a person’s lungs, airways and digestive system, trapping bacteria and leading to recurrent infections. Lung failure is the major cause of death for people with this disease. World-first nanotechnology developed by the University of South Australia could dramatically improve quality of live of thousands of people living with cystic fibrosis as groundbreaking research shows it can improve the effectiveness of tobramycin, increasing its efficacy by up to 100,000-fold. The new technology uses a biomimetic nanostructured material to augment tobramycin – the antibiotic prescribed to treat chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections in severe cases of cystic fibrosis – eradicating the infection in as little as two doses. A University of South Australia (UniSA) research team, which includes Professor Clive Prestidge, Dr Nicky Thomas, and PhD candidate, Chelsea Thorn, enhanced tobramycin with a biometric, nanostructured, lipid liquid crystal nanoparticle (LCNP)-based material, testing it on a new lung infection model to showcase its unique ability to penetrate the dense surface of the bacteria and kill the infection. “Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent, chronic lung infections and limits a person’s ability to breathe,” Thorn says. “The disease causes thick, sticky mucus to clog a person’s airways, attracting germs and bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which leads to recurring infections and blockages”. Tobramycin is commonly used to treat these infections but increasingly antibiotics are failing to make any significant difference to lung infections, leaving sufferers requiring life-long antibiotic therapy administered every month.
“Tobramycin works by inhibiting the synthesis of bacteria and causing cell membrane damage. Yet, as it’s a concentration-dependent antibiotic, achieving a sufficiently high concentration is critical,” Dr Thomas says. “Our technology improves the performance of tobramycin without increasing the toxicity of the drug, so what we’re doing is a far more effective and efficient treatment for chronic lung infections.” The technology is currently entering pre-clinical trials and hopes to be on the market in the next five years.
Related papers:
* Thorn, C. R., Carvalho-Wodarz, C. D., Horstmann, J. C., Lehr, C-M., Prestidge, C. A., Thomas, N., “Tobramycin liquid crystal nanoparticles eradicate cystic fibrosis-related Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms”. Small: 2021. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202100531
* Thorn, C. R., Raju, D., Lacdao, I., Gilbert, S., Sivarajah, P., Howell, P. L., Prestidge, C., Thomas, N., “Protective liquid crystal nanoparticles for targeted delivery of PslG – a biofilm dispersing enzyme”. ACS Infectious Diseases: 2021. Online ahead of print: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00014
Novel nanotech improves cystic fibrosis antibiotic by 100,000-fold
Evonik delivers first lipids from German facility to BioNTech
The German company Evonik is delivering first batches of urgently needed lipids used in production of COVID-19 vaccine to BioNTech on April 22. Initially, delivery was scheduled to start in the middle of the year. But, specialists at Evonik’s Hanau site have been able to set up the lipid production in just eight weeks, meeting the high-quality requirements for the component. « Setting up production at this speed is a great achievement, says Christian Kullmann, chairman of Evonik’s executive board. Increasing lipid production in Germany will also allow us to further accelerate the manufacturing of larger quantities of the vaccine. In this way, we are contributing to the fight against the pandemic.» As part of its strategic partnership with BioNTech, Evonik produces two different lipids for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Together with other lipids, they encapsulate to form a lipid nanoparticle (LNP), which serves as a protective shell around the mRNA to transport it safely into the cell. There, the mRNA is released to allow the vaccine to take effect. « This is a complex production process that only a few in the world master, says Dr. Thomas Riermeier, head of Evonik’s Health Care business line. We’re demonstrating once more that Evonik is a superior and reliable partner for the pharmaceutical industry, far beyond COVID-19.»
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