Fighting resistance

Microbial resistance to antibiotics is a growing problem, but rather than develop more powerful drugs
| 1 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
MALVERN, PA—Microbial resistance to antibiotics is a growing problem, but rather than develop more powerful drugs that are likely to have more significant side effects, researchers at Chaperone Technologies decided to combine existing antibiotics with compounds that perturb a microbe's ability to respond to stress. In particular, they examined the naturally occurring DnaK-inhibiting peptide pyrrhocoricin and the synthetic derivative CHP-105.
 
In a poster presented at the recent Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, scientists from Chaperone, the Hershey Medical Center and Laboratory Specialists Inc. looked at the ability of the DnaK inhibitors to enhance the antimicrobial activity of the fluoroquinolone levofloxacin against a variety of microbial species. With the exception of P. aerginosa, each of the microbes was more sensitive to the combined regimen, with levofloxacin given at one-quarter of its minimum inhibitory concentration, over treatment with any of the drugs singly.
 
In announcing the work, Chaperone President and CEO Kenneth Kovan said: "Co-administration…may prove to have several potential major benefits, such as lowering the necessary therapeutically effective dose; extending the duration of activity of a fixed dose, reducing the likelihood of the development of resistant strains of the infecting organism, and/or expanding the spectrum of activity of the individual agents."

About the Author

Related Topics

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

Close-up illustration of clustered, irregularly shaped 3D cell structures resembling organoids, displayed in a blue-toned background.
Machine learning-powered image analysis makes it possible to automatically and reliably quantify complex 3D cell structures.
Illustration of a glowing human brain with interconnected neural networks and bright data points, set against a dark, digital background.
Take a closer look at modern techniques that reveal when, where, and how neurons communicate in real time.
Gloved hand holding a petri dish containing red liquid culture medium against a light blue background.
As global regulations shift toward animal-free testing, how can researchers develop more biologically relevant in vitro models to advance drug discovery?
Drug Discovery News June 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 2 • June 2025

June 2025

June 2025 Issue

Explore this issue