The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a new class of antibiotic drug candidates which has high potential to be developed into a new generation of antibiotics fighting against multi-drug resistant superbugs including methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA).

The novel small molecules, based on new target, new chemical structure and new antimicrobial mechanism, are different from those of existing antibiotics. The new drug candidates demonstrate much effective abilities of inhibiting bacterial growth than commonly used antibiotics, yet with no toxicity to human cells.

The research team of the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery of PolyU’s Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) develops ‘Nusbiarylins’, a new class of antibiotic candidates for fighting against superbugs. The research team is led by Dr MA Cong. (PRNewsfoto/Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

The development of Nusbiarylins, a new class of antimicrobial agents, by the research team of the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery of PolyU's Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT), is considered as a breakthrough in the battle against multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. The interdisciplinary team, led by Dr MA Cong, Assistant Professor in ABCT, comprises of experts from both PolyU and Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"Our research is now in the stage of animal studies, conducting infectious model studies and pharmacokinetic studies. These are the critical steps preceding clinical trials on human for drug development. At this moment, there are very few antibiotic related studies being able to complete such stage worldwide. Our findings so far are very promising. We believe further studies on these compounds will contribute to a new era of antibiotic discovery, contributing towards the fight against superbugs," said Dr Ma.

Most antibiotics currently in the market fight against bacteria through disrupting its DNA synthesis or protein functions. The innovative antimicrobial mechanism developed by PolyU team focuses on inhibiting the interaction between two proteins, NusB and NusE, which is crucial for synthesis of bacterial ribosomal RNA (rRNA). By designing small molecules to disrupt NusB-NusE interaction, bacterial cell proliferation can thus be curbed.

The findings have been published in leading scientific journals. The innovation has also won the ‘Global Innovation Award’ at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo 2019 held in June inthe United States.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a new class of antibiotic drug candidates which has high potential to be developed into a new generation of antibiotics fighting against multi-drug resistant superbugs.