Two Cologne clinician scientists receive 1.7 million euro to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria
As the development of classical antibiotics with new mechanisms of action against resistant bacteria becomes increasingly difficult, fundamentally new strategies in the fight against bacterial pathogens are becoming more and more important.
Examples include therapies based on therapeutic antibodies or drugs that specifically reduce bacterial virulence (the ability of a pathogen to cause disease). The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the pathogens that has been identified as a major public health threat due to its widespread resistance to antibiotics. It is responsible for up to 10 percent of all hospital-acquired infections and is considered one of the most common causes of nosocomial pneumonia. In patients with lung diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or cystic fibrosis, P. aeruginosa often leads to chronic infections that significantly impair lung function and thus reduce the quality of life and life expectancy of these patients. The need for new therapeutic and prophylactic approaches against P. aeruginosa infections is therefore high.
The German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) will provide 1.7 million euros over the next three years to fund further research into a novel therapeutic approach to combat resistant P. aeruginosa bacteria. The project, led by Prof. Dr. Dr. Jan Rybniker and Dr. Alexander Simonis from the Department of Clinical Infectiology at the Clinic I for Internal Medicine and Principal Investigators at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), involves several researchers from the University Hospital's Center for Infection Medicine (CIM).
In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Florian Klein and Dr. Christoph Kreer from the Institute of Virology and associated with the CMMC, the two scientists recently identified highly potent human B cell-derived antibodies directed against the type III secretion system (T3SS) of P. aeruginosa. The secretion system plays a crucial role in severe infections, so blocking it could represent an innovative and effective treatment strategy against P. aeruginosa infections that is independent of antibiotic resistance.
Unlike most antimicrobial agents, antibodies have a long plasma half-life and reach therapeutic plasma levels for weeks after administration. This allows antibodies to be used not only for therapeutic purposes, but also as a preventive measure to prevent infection (passive immunization strategy). In addition, human therapeutic antibodies have a very favorable side-effect profile - serious adverse events are extremely rare.
An important step in the funded project will be the selection of an antibody candidate and the first production of this antibody under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions. Based on this work, future clinical trials will be conducted in patients with acute P. aeruginosa infections.
The CMMC is proud that Prof. Jan Rybniker and Dr. Alexander Simonis (member of the Career Advancement Group and the Junior Research Group at the CMMC) are so successful with their research.
Scientific Contact
Prof. Dr. Dr. Jan Rybniker
jan.rybniker[at]uk-koeln.de
Dr. Alexander Simonis
alexander.simonis[at]uk-koeln.de
This message has been modified by the CMMC (K. Heber & D. Grosskopf-Kroiher) and is based on the text provided by the press and communications team of the University Hospital Cologne (original German version here).