To develop the treatment, researchers first identified a unique respiratory sodium pump that delivers energy to at least 20 different types of bacteria cells and provided researchers with a new target for antibiotic treatment. Researchers then identified a compound called PEG-2S that disabled the pump mechanism. In Chlamydia trachomatis, PEG-2S restricted the pump and hindered the growth and production of the bacteria.
“The results from our collaboration are tremendously exciting,” said Pavel Dibrov, PhD, a biology professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg Canada and the study’s lead author. “We are currently designing PEG-2S variations and hope to tailor PEG-based antimicrobials to each specific NQR-containing pathogenic bacterium.”
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The compound can target the energy pump of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa — two of the most dangerous bacterial pathogens in the world, as identified by the WHO. Further testing of PEG-2S in animals and humans is needed to fully assess the compound’s efficacy and safety, according to the report.
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