Nanotechnology

Advances in nanomedicine provide precise doses of antibiotics to fight infections and drug resistance

Credit: Drug Delivery and Translational Research (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s13346-024-01708-5

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new technology that keeps the entire dose of antibiotics in one small dose and allows a given patient to receive the amount of medicine they need to fight an infection on demand. did.

This breakthrough in targeted medicine is the result of two new studies that tested this drug delivery system against two bacterial strains that adversely affect millions of people around the world. Streptococcus pneumoniae causes meningitis, sepsis, and bacterial pneumonia, which can be fatal in some cases. Gardnerella vaginosis is primarily associated with bacterial vaginosis and causes discomfort and pain.

The two studies, “Bacterial-responsive drug release platform for topical treatment of bacterial vaginosis” and “Pneumolysin-responsive liposome platform for selective treatment of pneumococci,” are funded by Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery and Translational Research, respectively. Published in

A team at Waterloo School of Pharmacy has discovered that this personalized nanomedicine, which attacks bacteria at the molecular level, allows patients to get exactly the amount they need to fight infections while reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance. did. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics allows bacterial strains to develop resistance, resulting in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global threat.

“Ideally, patients would take a whole course of antibiotics at once, so they don’t have to worry about forgetting to take a pill or only taking it with a meal,” Waterloo said. said Dr. Emmanuel Ho, principal investigator and professor at the university. Faculty of Pharmacy. “When the symptoms of a disease improve, we know that nanomedicine is working.”

This new technology consists of an invisible fatty compound that is tailored to release the drug only in the presence of toxins produced by certain types of bacteria.

“Compared to traditional treatments that continuously release drugs even when they are not needed, our nanomedicine is designed to release drugs only when needed, reducing the serious side effects associated with overdosing. It can be alleviated,” Dr. Ho said.

“In addition to fighting AMR by making sure patients take all their medications, we also avoid overdosing them and have fewer side effects. Our technology is far-reaching, and this is just the beginning. I don’t know.”

Nanomedicines that are not released within the body are organically degraded within the body without side effects. This feature ensures that the patient does not take too much of the drug and the body is not constantly exposed to the drug.

Treating Gardnerella vaginalis and Streptococcus pneumoniae with antibiotics has a high rate of reinfection. The aim was to develop a drug that patients would not need to take multiple times to prevent reinfection. Ho’s goal is to use this technology to prevent and treat many diseases.

The research team plans to commercialize this nanomedicine. In addition to medical applications, the technology is currently being tested for use in packaging to extend the shelf life of food. If this technology is applied to the packaging of processed meat, where the container comes into direct contact with the food, it will be possible to maintain the freshness of the food for a longer period of time. According to the United Nations, 1 billion tons of food was wasted worldwide in 2022.

Further information: Chuying Feng et al, Bacteria-responsive drug release platform for local treatment of bacterial vaginosis, Nanotechnology (2024). DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad7143

Ethan Watt et al, Pneumolysin-responsive liposome platform for selective treatment of pneumococci, drug delivery and translational research (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s13346-024-01708-5

Provided by University of Waterloo

Citation: Advances in nanomedicine provide precise antibiotic dosing to fight infections and drug resistance (October 24, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-10- Retrieved October 24, 2024 from nanomedicine-advances-precise-antibiotic-doses.html

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