Antimicrobial resistance, a phenomenon where bacteria and fungi develop defenses against drugs designed to eliminate them, poses an urgent threat to global public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified this as a critical issue. In response, the Gerdt Lab at Indiana University Bloomington is pioneering research to weaken bacterial defenses against viruses, offering new hope in the fight against resistant strains.
“Bacteria get sick, too,” explained J.P. Gerdt, assistant professor of chemistry at IU Bloomington’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Our lab tries to understand how their immune systems work so we can figure out how to inhibit them.”
Exploring Alternatives: Bacteriophages in Focus
Bacteriophages, viruses that specifically target and kill bacteria, present a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics, which can indiscriminately kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria, bacteriophages offer a more targeted approach, attacking only specific bacterial strains. This precision makes them valuable not only in medicine but also in agriculture, where they can help control bacterial populations without disrupting beneficial microbes.
However, similar to antibiotic resistance, bacteria can also develop immunity to bacteriophages. This challenge is where the Gerdt Lab’s groundbreaking work becomes crucial. Former lab member Zhiyu Zang, now a post-doctoral candidate at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne, discovered a chemical molecule that enhances a bacteriophage’s ability to overcome bacterial immune systems.
A Breakthrough Discovery
The findings, detailed in Zang and Gerdt’s paper “Chemical inhibition of a bacterial immune system,” published in Cell Host and Microbe, mark a significant advancement in the field. While antibiotics will likely remain the primary defense against human bacterial infections, this discovery holds potential for treating hard-to-treat infections and reducing antibiotic overuse in agriculture, thereby mitigating the spread of resistance.
“Our study is important not just because we found the first example of a small molecule that can inhibit a bacteria’s immune system,” Zang stated. “It’s also important because the immune system we’re studying is present in around 2,000 different bacteria species.”
Building a Library of Solutions
The diversity of bacterial strains suggests a vast number of potential chemical inhibitors. Gerdt envisions creating a comprehensive library of such inhibitors within the next decade. This ambitious goal began with research on a bacterium that was both manageable and safe for undergraduate study. Students like Olivia Duncan, now a Ph.D. student at Cornell University, played a pivotal role in identifying molecules that chemically inhibited bacterial immune systems.
“Our goal is to have a collection of inhibitors that will work for different immune systems,” Gerdt emphasized. “We hope that this paper will be a catalyst for other labs to work on this with us as a community.”
Implications and Future Directions
The discovery opens new avenues for addressing antibiotic resistance, particularly in targeting pathogenic bacteria with similar immune systems, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria are often resistant to antibiotics and are responsible for numerous hospital-acquired infections.
The Gerdt Lab’s work represents a significant step forward in the ongoing battle against antibiotic resistance. By fostering collaboration and innovation, this research not only advances scientific understanding but also lays the groundwork for practical applications in medicine and agriculture. As the scientific community builds on these findings, the future of antimicrobial treatment looks promising, with the potential to revolutionize how we combat resistant bacterial strains.
