Latest news with #YifatMerbl
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Team behind immunity breakthrough plan to unleash ‘natural antibacterials' on AMR superbugs
The team that uncovered an untapped source of natural antibiotics hidden in our cells have set their sights on tackling some of the world's deadliest superbugs. Researchers in Israel conducted a series of experiments focusing on the proteasome – a tiny, barrel-shaped structure found inside every cell. They found that as well as recycling the body's proteins, it can reassemble them into natural antibiotics (proteasome-generated defence peptides) when given the right prompt. The findings, published in the journal Nature, could help end the hidden pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by providing 'alternatives to conventional antibiotics in combating antibiotic-resistant infections,' the researchers said. Professor Yifat Merbl, from the Weizmann Institute of Science and a co-author of the paper, said the focus was now on how to turn their discovery into a new class of treatments for drug-resistant infections. Such infections already kill well over a million people annually and are expected to kill nearly 40 million by 2050 unless solutions are found. 'One thing that we now have to tackle is to take the really nasty bugs – the 'superbugs' that are killing patients in hospitals and so on – and try to see which of these peptides may perform against resistant bacteria,' she told The Telegraph. New drugs are badly needed to kill bacteria that, after decades of overuse, have become resistant to the strongest medicines available, such as those being detected on the battlefields of Ukraine. The World Health Organization's priority pathogens list – a repository of the most dangerous diseases and infections – now includes 15 families of drug-resistant bacteria, and the researchers believe their discovery could lead to medicines that can treat even the most concerning strains. 'We'll have to have some funding and support to do it,' Prof Merbl said. 'But we believe it's doable, it's tractable.' In their experiments, the researchers tested the peptides on mice with pneumonia and sepsis, as well as on bacteria grown in the lab and found that their 'natural antibacterials' were comparable to some established antibiotics. They then went a step further and used an algorithm to analyse all the proteins made by the human body, searching for previously unknown peptides that could be released – creating what the researchers believe is 'an untapped reservoir of natural antimicrobial agents'. 'A very important scientific discovery' The discovery in Israel, alongside advancements in the use of AI, have raised the possibility that the biggest single obstacle to solving the crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been overcome – simply put, we are running out of effective antibiotics and there are too few on the horizon. But will it really be enough to turn the tide against a major threat to global health security which already kills more people every year than HIV/Aids and malaria combined? Prof Merbl said turning their findings into effective treatments will take time. 'We still don't understand the rules,' she said. 'We know that, even for different types of bacteria, it (the proteasome) may operate differently. 'The basic mechanism is similar – you have this barrel that produces different peptides, but which peptide will affect what pathogen? We still don't understand and therefore we need to screen for that.' Professor Daniel Davis, the head of life sciences at Imperial College London, said it was too early to say whether the discovery in Israel would turn out to be a panacea for AMR. 'This is a very important scientific discovery with the potential to become medically important,' he told The Telegraph. But 'as with any scientific discovery, other labs should pursue it, confirm it, and perform related experiments to verify the findings that it's producing a lot of molecules that can directly attack bacteria,' he said. What's also unclear is the extent to which the discovery will help resolve another major hurdle in efforts to tackle AMR – the reason why antibiotics development has stalled since the 1990s is because they are not an attractive business proposition for the drug makers. Developing new antibiotics is expensive, fraught with risk and, because they have to be used sparingly to be effective, doesn't offer returns that are nearly as attractive as investments in other areas – like malaria, for example. There are also fewer subsidies and other incentives aimed at encouraging investment. The result of this is that, ten years after the WHO declared AMR a global emergency and called for greater investment to develop new drugs, efforts to discover new antibiotics have waned – the last time a new class of antibiotics was discovered was in 1987. There is hope that the discovery of this new feature of the immune system will open up a whole field of potential development, kick-starting a second Golden Age of Antibiotics like the one that followed the discovery of Penicillin. But the Israeli researchers say their discovery could have ramifications that go well beyond the battle against AMR. Prof Merbl said her team focused on infectious diseases but that their findings could be relevant to 'other medical conditions where the immune system is compromised,' such as in transplants or cancer. The fact that these 'natural antimicrobials' are generated inside the body also opens up a host of possibilities, she added. 'Because it's produced by our body, it is less likely to alarm the immune system, potentially making it less toxic, and more tolerable,' she said. 'We didn't prove it in humans yet, but if it is indeed going to be more tolerated by the body, as we saw in the mouse, then definitely this may be a game changer.' In the short-term though, much of the excitement around this new discovery is centred on its relevance to the battle against drug-resistant infections. Speaking at a conference on AMR late last year, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's Director General, said the crisis was 'equally as urgent as climate action'. AMR, he said presciently, 'is right here and right now, but so are the solutions'.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Team behind immunity breakthrough plan to unleash ‘natural antibacterials' on AMR superbugs
The team that uncovered an untapped source of natural antibiotics hidden in our cells have set their sights on tackling some of the world's deadliest superbugs. Researchers in Israel conducted a series of experiments focusing on the proteasome – a tiny, barrel-shaped structure found inside every cell. They found that as well as recycling the body's proteins, it can reassemble them into natural antibiotics (proteasome-generated defence peptides) when given the right prompt. The findings, published in the journal Nature, could help end the hidden pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by providing 'alternatives to conventional antibiotics in combating antibiotic-resistant infections,' the researchers said. Professor Yifat Merbl, from the Weizmann Institute of Science and a co-author of the paper, said the focus was now on how to turn their discovery into a new class of treatments for drug-resistant infections. Such infections already kill well over a million people annually and are expected to kill nearly 40 million by 2050 unless solutions are found. 'One thing that we now have to tackle is to take the really nasty bugs – the 'superbugs' that are killing patients in hospitals and so on – and try to see which of these peptides may perform against resistant bacteria,' she told The Telegraph. New drugs are badly needed to kill bacteria that, after decades of overuse, have become resistant to the strongest medicines available, such as those being detected on the battlefields of Ukraine. The World Health Organization's priority pathogens list – a repository of the most dangerous diseases and infections – now includes 15 families of drug-resistant bacteria, and the researchers believe their discovery could lead to medicines that can treat even the most concerning strains. 'We'll have to have some funding and support to do it,' Prof Merbl said. 'But we believe it's doable, it's tractable.' In their experiments, the researchers tested the peptides on mice with pneumonia and sepsis, as well as on bacteria grown in the lab and found that their 'natural antibacterials' were comparable to some established antibiotics. They then went a step further and used an algorithm to analyse all the proteins made by the human body, searching for previously unknown peptides that could be released – creating what the researchers believe is 'an untapped reservoir of natural antimicrobial agents'. The discovery in Israel, alongside advancements in the use of AI, have raised the possibility that the biggest single obstacle to solving the crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been overcome – simply put, we are running out of effective antibiotics and there are too few on the horizon. But will it really be enough to turn the tide against a major threat to global health security which already kills more people every year than HIV/Aids and malaria combined? Prof Merbl said turning their findings into effective treatments will take time. 'We still don't understand the rules,' she said. 'We know that, even for different types of bacteria, it (the proteasome) may operate differently. 'The basic mechanism is similar – you have this barrel that produces different peptides, but which peptide will affect what pathogen? We still don't understand and therefore we need to screen for that.' Professor Daniel Davis, the head of life sciences at Imperial College London, said it was too early to say whether the discovery in Israel would turn out to be a panacea for AMR. 'This is a very important scientific discovery with the potential to become medically important,' he told The Telegraph. But 'as with any scientific discovery, other labs should pursue it, confirm it, and perform related experiments to verify the findings that it's producing a lot of molecules that can directly attack bacteria,' he said. What's also unclear is the extent to which the discovery will help resolve another major hurdle in efforts to tackle AMR – the reason why antibiotics development has stalled since the 1990s is because they are not an attractive business proposition for the drug makers. Developing new antibiotics is expensive, fraught with risk and, because they have to be used sparingly to be effective, doesn't offer returns that are nearly as attractive as investments in other areas – like malaria, for example. There are also fewer subsidies and other incentives aimed at encouraging investment. The result of this is that, ten years after the WHO declared AMR a global emergency and called for greater investment to develop new drugs, efforts to discover new antibiotics have waned – the last time a new class of antibiotics was discovered was in 1987. There is hope that the discovery of this new feature of the immune system will open up a whole field of potential development, kick-starting a second Golden Age of Antibiotics like the one that followed the discovery of Penicillin. But the Israeli researchers say their discovery could have ramifications that go well beyond the battle against AMR. Prof Merbl said her team focused on infectious diseases but that their findings could be relevant to 'other medical conditions where the immune system is compromised,' such as in transplants or cancer. The fact that these 'natural antimicrobials' are generated inside the body also opens up a host of possibilities, she added. 'Because it's produced by our body, it is less likely to alarm the immune system, potentially making it less toxic, and more tolerable,' she said. 'We didn't prove it in humans yet, but if it is indeed going to be more tolerated by the body, as we saw in the mouse, then definitely this may be a game changer.' In the short-term though, much of the excitement around this new discovery is centred on its relevance to the battle against drug-resistant infections. Speaking at a conference on AMR late last year, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's Director General, said the crisis was 'equally as urgent as climate action'. AMR, he said presciently, 'is right here and right now, but so are the solutions'. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists discover new part of the immune system
A new part of the immune system has been discovered and it is a goldmine of potential antibiotics, scientists have said. They've shown a part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode that can spew out an arsenal of bacteria-killing chemicals. The researchers in Israel say it transforms our understanding of how we are protected against infection. And gives a new place to look for antibiotics to tackle the growing problem of superbugs that resist our current drugs. The discovery centres on the proteasome – a tiny structure that is found in every cell of the body. Its main role is to chop up old proteins into smaller chunks so they can be recycled to make new ones. But a series of experiments, detailed in the journal Nature, shows the proteasome detects when a cell has been infected by bacteria. It then changes structure and role. It starts transforming old proteins into weapons that can rip open the outer layer of bacteria to kill them. Prof Yifat Merbl, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, told me: "This is really exciting, because we never knew that this was happening. "We discovered a novel mechanism of immunity that is allowing us to have a defense against bacterial infection. "It's happening throughout our body in all the cells, and generates a whole new class of potential natural antibiotics." The research team went through a process they called "dumpster diving" to find these natural antibiotics. They were tested on bacteria growing in the laboratory and on mice with pneumonia and sepsis. The researchers said they were getting results comparable to some established antibiotics. And when the researchers took cells in the laboratory and disabled the proteasome they were far easier to infect with bacteria like Salmonella. Prof Daniel Davis, the head of life sciences and an immunologist at Imperial College London, said the findings were "extremely provocative and very interesting" as they changed our understanding of how our body fights infection. "What's really exciting about this, is it's a totally undiscovered process by which anti-germ molecules are made inside our cells, it feels profoundly important and surprising." But he cautioned that turning this into a new source of antibiotics is an idea that "still needs to be tested" and that will take time. More than a million people a year are estimated to die from infections that are resistant to drugs like antibiotics. Drug-resistant infections killing millions - study But despite the need, there has been a lack of research into developing new antibiotics to keep up with demand. Against that bleak background, having somewhere new to look is a source of optimism for some scientists. Dr Lindsey Edwards, a senior lecturer in microbiology at King's College London, told the BBC: "It's a potential goldmine for new antibiotics, that's quite exciting. "In previous years it's been digging up soil [to find new antibiotics], it is wild that it's something we have within us, but comes down to having the technology to be able to detect these things." She also says there could be fewer issues with developing them into drugs because they are already products of the human body so the "safety side of it might be a lot easier".
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists discover new part of the immune system - and it could help solve our antibiotics crisis
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown part of the immune system that 'could provide an untapped source of natural antibiotics '. Experts supported by the European Research Council said the findings have the potential to transform the treatment of infectious diseases, as the newly discovered 'natural antibacterials' could 'provide alternatives to conventional antibiotics in combating antibiotic-resistant infections '. The discovery focuses on proteasomes, structures in cells that break down proteins. Through experiments, the researchers 'addressed a question that remained unanswered for decades' by finding that proteasomes could also detect bacteria in cells, and they then create defences against that bacteria to halt its growth. 'These findings pave the way for previously undescribed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the fight against infectious diseases,' the researchers said in their paper, published in Nature. Professor Yifat Merbl from the Weizmann Institute of Science told the BBC it was an 'exciting' discovery. "We discovered a novel mechanism of immunity that is allowing us to have a defence against bacterial infection,' he said. "It's happening throughout our body in all the cells, and generates a whole new class of potential natural antibiotics." While Professor Danile Davis, head of life sciences at Imperial College London, said the findings were 'very interesting', he told the BBC it would take time for this to be translated into a new antibiotic source, and further testing was needed. New antibiotics and alternative defences against infections are sorely needed, as over time and with overuse and poor public health systems these pathogens become resistant to older forms of treatment, according to the World Health Organisation. The issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) - where a disease or infection no longer responds to common treatments - is a global health issue, and its also on the rise in the UK. AMR is directly responsible for 7,600 deaths in the UK each year, and it contributes to around 35,200 deaths annually in the UK, according to a recent report from the National Audit Office (NAO). The report found AMR had been driven in part by 'misuse and overuse' of antimicrobial drugs, including for the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics to treat viral infections. The NAO warned the NHS is not fully equipped to tackle the 'major public health threat' of AMR as facilities have failed to keep up with standards. 'The NHS estate has seriously deteriorated in recent years, with some hospitals and other healthcare settings not meeting the demands of modern medicine,' the report said. 'Old buildings and equipment may be harder to service and keep clean, and there are insufficient side rooms to isolate infectious patients.' While the NAO acknowledged that the Government has been taking the problem 'seriously' it said that there has been 'limited progress' in the AMR action plan covering the last five years. In January, the UK Health Security Agency's deputy director Dr Colin Brown said the agency was alert to the risk of increased AMR bug s, both locally and abroad. 'Antimicrobial resistance is not a crisis of the future, but one that is with us right now causing over a million deaths globally each year. Unless action is taken, the availability of life-saving treatments will fall and our ability to drive down infections will decrease,' he said.
BBC News
06-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Scientists discover new part of the immune system
A new part of the immune system has been discovered and it is a goldmine of potential antibiotics, scientists have shown a part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode that can spew out an arsenal of bacteria-killing researchers in Israel say it transforms our understanding of how we are protected against gives a new place to look for antibiotics to tackle the growing problem of superbugs that resist our current drugs. The discovery centres on the proteasome – a tiny structure that is found in every cell of the main role is to chop up old proteins into smaller chunks so they can be recycled to make new a series of experiments, detailed in the journal Nature, shows the proteasome detects when a cell has been infected by then changes structure and role. It starts transforming old proteins into weapons that can rip open the outer layer of bacteria to kill them. Prof Yifat Merbl, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, told me: "This is really exciting, because we never knew that this was happening."We discovered a novel mechanism of immunity that is allowing us to have a defense against bacterial infection."It's happening throughout our body in all the cells, and generates a whole new class of potential natural antibiotics."The research team went through a process they called "dumpster diving" to find these natural were tested on bacteria growing in the laboratory and on mice with pneumonia and sepsis. The researchers said they were getting results comparable to some established when the researchers took cells in the laboratory and disabled the proteasome they were far easier to infect with bacteria like Salmonella. Prof Daniel Davis, the head of life sciences and an immunologist at Imperial College London, said the findings were "extremely provocative and very interesting" as they changed our understanding of how our body fights infection."What's really exciting about this, is it's a totally undiscovered process by which anti-germ molecules are made inside our cells, it feels profoundly important and surprising."But he cautioned that turning this into a new source of antibiotics is an idea that "still needs to be tested" and that will take than a million people a year are estimated to die from infections that are resistant to drugs like antibiotics. But despite the need, there has been a lack of research into developing new antibiotics to keep up with that bleak background, having somewhere new to look is a source of optimism for some scientists. Dr Lindsey Edwards, a senior lecturer in microbiology at King's College London, told the BBC: "It's a potential goldmine for new antibiotics, that's quite exciting."In previous years it's been digging up soil [to find new antibiotics], it is wild that it's something we have within us, but comes down to having the technology to be able to detect these things."She also says there could be fewer issues with developing them into drugs because they are already products of the human body so the "safety side of it might be a lot easier".
