Researchers at the University of Buffalo have landed a $4.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the possibility of reviving an old class of antibiotics to combat new strains of bacteria that are becoming increasingly resistant to current drugs.
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| Brian Tsuji, University of Buffalo |
The grant will fund the development of new dosing regimens for polymyxin antibiotics, initially developed more than 50 years ago. Typically, polymyxins are used only as a last resort if modern antibiotics are ineffective or are contraindicated in certain patients because they can be toxic to both the kidneys and nervous system.
Though they are effective against gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to currently available antibiotics, recommended doses of polymyxins are often unsuccessful in patients that are critically ill. Gram-negative bacteria can cause a wide range of symptoms, from pneumonia and other respiratory problems, to serious blood or wound infections.
Brian Tsuji, associate professor and director of clinical research at the University of Buffalo's department of pharmacy practice, will lead the research, which will evaluate new dosing regimens for polymyxin combinations to find the best antibacterial activity that also minimizes toxicity and lessens the risk of drug resistance.
"This is a massive public health problem because the emergence of these new highly resistant strains has been coupled with a dwindling pipeline of development and approval for new drugs," Tsuji said in a university report.
In order to formulate novel doses of polymyxins, researchers will use a Hollow Fiber Model System to mimic the concentrations of antibiotics in patients against bacteria from critically ill patients.
Researchers from Monash University in Australia and Weill Cornell Medical College will collaborate on the project.
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