Researchers at Kerala's Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology discover method to target drug-resistance in bacteria
T'puram: Researchers at
(RGCB) have discovered that targeting the outer membrane of proteins, called
, in pathogenic bacteria can significantly combat their resistance to antibiotics.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The discovery assumes significance with resistance to antibiotics being one of the most serious global health threats.
According to the research, bacteria evolved in several ways to block antibiotics, making once-effective drugs powerless. Anti-biotics target bacteria cells by entering them through tiny protein channels in porins. A reduction in the number of porins decreases the influx of drugs into bacteria, allowing them to develop resistance against different antibiotics and survive treatment.
The multidisciplinary investigation revealed the potential of targeting underexplored porins to combat
, said a statement.
The research work, published in Small, a nanoscience and nanotechnology journal based in Weinheim, Germany, was carried out at Dr Mahendran's lab at RGCB in collaboration with Dr Arumugam Rajavelu's lab at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Dr Jagannath Mondal's lab at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad.
The researchers identified a dynamic porin, CymAKp, in the WHO-listed high-priority pathogen
. Using cutting-edge biophysical channel recordings and computer simulations, they discovered that CymAKp is specially adapted to allow cyclic sugars into the cell.
Building on this, they identified a clever way to use this pathway to sneak antibiotics in. It was found that certain antibiotics, called
, resemble cyclic sugars and can travel through CymAKp to enter the bacteria, the statement added.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"By understanding how these drugs interact with the porins, the research work revealed a promising new route to overcome resistance and make antibiotics more effective," it said.
While many studies explored porins in non-pathogenic bacteria, the roles of porins in clinically significant pathogens, particularly the ESKAPE group, remain under-investigated.
"By understanding and exploiting the molecular details of antibiotic transport through CymAKp, we pave the way for developing next-generation therapeutics designed to outsmart resistant pathogens," the researchers said.
RGCB director Chandrabhas Narayana said bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a major challenge for the global medical community, especially for pharmacologists.
"In this backdrop, the current multidisciplinary research work will open up exciting possibilities for dealing with this challenge and making antibiotics more lethal and effective against bacterial infections through targeted antibiotics transport," he added.
The research was funded by the Centre's department of biotechnology, department of science and technology, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and RGCB's intramural funding.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
24 minutes ago
- First Post
Covid-19 now just like any other respiratory illness, predominant in India after recent surge: Expert
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, is just like any other respiratory illness now and there is no possibility of another catastrophic wave like the one driven by Delta variant in 2021, according to Soumya Swaminathan, a former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). read more At present, 'LF.7' and 'NB.1.8' — both descendants of the 'JN.1' variant — are the main variants of the COVID-19-causing virus circulating in Singapore. AP File Soumya Swaminathan, a former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), has said that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, is now just like any other respiratory virus and there is no need to panic at the moment. In recent weeks, Covid-19 cases have risen in India. As per the latest information, there are 3,961 active Covid-19 cases in the country, with 203 new cases and four deaths being reported in the previous 24 hours. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In an interview with CNN-News 18, Swaminathan said that the SARS-CoV-2, just like any other virus, is bound to periodic surges every six to eight months and the ongoing spike in cases is a result of such a periodic surge. She went on to compare it with influenza virus. 'It has been around now for five years. It is of course constantly mutating and changing like other viruses. And, just like we get every year a spike of influenza cases at certain seasons, we have also now started seeing that periodically, maybe every six to eight months or so, there is a rise in Covid cases,' said Swaminathan, who also served as the Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during 2015-17. Swaminathan further said that there was no chance of another catastrophic wave of Covid-19 like the Delta variant's wave of 2021. Swaminathan noted that influenza virus was the predominant respiratory infection for most of the year and it was only in April and May that Covid-19 over influenza. She said that it is likely to happen now as Covid-19 has become just another viral infection now. Swaminathan said, 'It's likely that every few months or once a year, we will see this type of thing happening in the future. The good thing is, of course, that we all have immunity now, both from vaccination and from natural infections that many of us have had in the last few years. And, so, what you're seeing now is a mild disease mostly, even though people are testing and reporting positivity, you find that hospitalisations are very few.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While there is no need to panic, people with higher risk of sickness should take the usual precautions, said Swaminathan. Those with higher risk include people with compromised immune systems, pre-existing health conditions, and older people, according to Swaminathan.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Liver Health: Health expert warns about the ‘worst' drink that can damage the liver
Liver diseases claim about 2 million deaths annually, which is about 4% of all deaths worldwide. A vital organ in the body, the is responsible for over 500 functions, including the digestion of proteins, mineral storage, bile production, and blood filtration. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Keeping the liver in good shape is crucial for overall well-being. Dr. Eric Berg, a chiropractor and nutrition author who has guided hundreds toward better health, has now warned about a beverage that can cause devastating effects on liver health. Most dangerous drink for the liver 'The most dangerous drink for your liver is NOT what you think…' he said in a video shared on Instagram. Sodas and other sugary beverages often have a bad reputation for causing harm to the . However, a drink is far worse than those beverages. 'The worst drink for your liver is not soda with high fructose corn syrup. And it's not even beer or wine. There's something that is way more deadly. Drinking this is the fastest way to destroy your liver,' Dr. Berg said. He said that two shots of this beverage in question can 'rapidly' destroy the liver. The beverage in question is hard liquor. Yes, that's right. He adds that the liver gets overwhelmed when one drinks hard liquor. Now the liver has to break down and digest a toxic byproduct called acetaldehyde, which kills liver cells. This byproduct causes inflammation and overwhelms the liver's ability to regenerate. 'The worst drink for your liver is hard liquor. I'm talking about the high proof alcohol, like 190 proof, 90%,' he said. Why is hard liquor dangerous Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance, that can wreak havoc on health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that no level of alcohol is safe for consumption. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While all alcoholic beverages can strain the liver, high-proof spirits are particularly harmful due to their concentrated alcohol content. Unlike beer or wine, which typically contain 5-12% alcohol, hard liquors or grain alcohol can reach 90% alcohol by volume. This potency accelerates the production of acetaldehyde, overwhelming the liver's detoxification pathways. Chronic consumption of high-proof alcohol can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress, which impair the liver's ability to repair itself. Over time, this can result in irreversible damage, which may eventually lead to liver failure. Fatty liver diet: Best and worst foods for your liver Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, acting Unit Lead for Noncommunicable Disease Management and Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the WHO Regional Office for Europe has earlier said, 'We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn't matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker's health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage. The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is. '
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
No 2020-Like Repeat Of Covid-19, Influenza A Bigger Risk: Ex-WHO Scientist Soumya Swaminathan
Last Updated: Addressing fears of another catastrophic wave, Swaminathan said periodic surges—roughly every 6-8 months—are expected, largely manageable, and low in severity Influenza, and not Covid-19, likely claims more lives each year in India and globally despite the latter dominating headlines, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), has told News18. One of the leading experts on infectious diseases, Swaminathan has reassured the public that there is 'absolutely no need to panic now". In an exclusive interview, Swaminathan told News18 that the SARS coronavirus, much like influenza, is now part of the respiratory viruses regularly circulating in the population. ' COVID or SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus, is another respiratory virus, like the many others that are circulating amongst us human beings in the world today. It has been around for five years now. It's, of course, constantly mutating and changing, like other viruses," she said. When asked whether there's a possibility of another 'Delta-like' wave making a return, she said the public needs to understand 'very clearly" that 'we will not see the repeat of 2020 or 2021. At that time, human beings had never seen this virus before". According to her, these periodic surges—roughly every 6-8 months—are expected and largely manageable. 'We have also now started seeing that periodically…There is a rise in circulating Covid-19 cases," she noted, citing data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which indicates that the Omicron variant JN.1 has recently become the dominant strain. Swaminathan, before her ground-breaking role at WHO, was the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and secretary of the Department of Health Research in India. She, however, says that despite the increase in cases, the severity remains low. 'What you're seeing now is a mild disease mostly. Even though people are testing and reporting positivity, you find that hospitalisations are rare," she said. Swaminathan highlighted that individuals with underlying health conditions should continue to take precautions. 'People who have underlying illnesses… are likely to get a little sicker when they get a respiratory infection," she warned, adding that this applies to both Covid-19 and influenza. The flu virus may pose a greater threat than Covid-19. 'Influenza probably kills a lot more people in India and around the world… it makes a lot of sense for vulnerable people to take the flu vaccine, which gets updated every year." Addressing fears of another catastrophic wave, she assured the public: 'It will not happen that we will have a repeat of 2020 or 2021… Today, the virus cannot spread in the same way because it is met with a strong immune response." Do we need booster shots or updated vaccines? According to Swaminathan, there is a need to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of updating vaccines, especially in countries like India. 'We see that illness is mild, not requiring hospitalisation… There doesn't seem to be any reason to start a booster campaign now," she said, although she acknowledged the importance of preparing for potential future variants through continued research and updated vaccine development. She also outlined five key areas for pandemic preparedness. 'We need new legislation today that will cover biological threats like pandemics," she said, adding that 'India should have its own list of priority pathogens… and mechanisms for developing vaccines and therapeutics". Also, she said: 'Every state must have a public health cadre… It's essential to deal with so many health risks today, along with the improvement of health literacy and public engagement, which is critical." What should you do? 'Let's take sensible precautions… I see people travelling in crowded buses, trains, and planes, coughing and sneezing without a mask—that's just spreading infection." As for concerns about waning immunity, she explained, 'There are two kinds of immunity… antibodies, which decline over time, and T-cells, which have memory. The moment you are exposed again to the same virus… your immune system does its job." She emphasised that Covid-19 is now an endemic part of life. While vigilance and preparedness are necessary, panic is not. 'We can rest assured now… I would say, let's take sensible precautions… but there's no need for any panic." Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
