A multiprong strategy to fight antimicrobial resistance

A team of Pharmacy students, led by Josh SHAN, is tackling the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) head-on with a multiprong research strategy.

From left: Santhosh Dave Kalaimaran, Tan Joe Yeow, Soon Jian Ming, Shan Jiahao (Josh), Jeffrey Lim Jun Jie, Claire Chuah Yu Xuan and Yeopi Eka Kristina

AMR, a pressing healthcare issue globally, occurs when bacteria no longer respond to medicines.  When antibiotics are used inappropriately, it can make infections harder to treat as emerging strains of pathogens become drug-resistant. AMR reduces the effectiveness of future treatments, potentially leading to a higher risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

In investigating the local landscape, Josh and his team describes the lack of standardised national prescribing guidelines to regulate and optimise the prescription and use of antibiotics.  Many patients also do not have diagnostic or investigative tests performed at point-of-care settings.

The team therefore set out to develop a rapid and reliable diagnostics tool to address this issue.

To do so, they first conducted a survey to better understand the patterns of antibiotic use in the community. The findings provided the basis for the team’s project – the modification of an existing bacterial sensor, Proxyphos, which emits fluorescence / different colours to indicate the presence of either bacteria or viruses in nasal samples.

In the next prong of their research, they carried out a seven-step chemical synthesis plan involving reactions such as substitution, addition and complexation. This enabled them to create a novel intermediate compound never attempted before.

The team started off by studying a particular class of small molecules present in nature – ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). By synergising the effects of two different types of RiPPs – lantibiotics and triceptides, each with their own unique structures and characteristics – the team hypothesised that they could create a hybrid peptide with stronger and broader antibacterial properties.

Their preliminary synthesis successfully proved that the methods of combining the two structures are feasible, thus showing the potential of synergising different peptides in the same molecule.

Josh says, “We believe that our research highlights the importance of using novel peptides as the future of antibiotic development, and its limitless potential in addressing the threat of AMR.”