Heart Drug Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
repurposed heart Drug Shows Promise Against Deadly Superbugs
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A familiar heart medication, fendiline, is emerging as a surprising new weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, offering a glimmer of hope against infections that have become increasingly difficult to treat.
A New Hope for Stubborn Infections
In the ongoing battle against superbugs, the discovery of new antibiotics is a constant race against time. Now, researchers have identified a potential game-changer: fendiline, a drug previously used to treat heart conditions. This repurposed medication has demonstrated a remarkable ability to kill a specific type of antibiotic-resistant bacterium by targeting a crucial pathway involved in lipoprotein trafficking. This pathway is already compromised in bacteria that have developed resistance to conventional antibiotics, making them notably vulnerable to fendiline’s action.
What the Researchers Say
“It’s critical that we find more and better therapeutics that can target these antibiotic-resistant infections which affect patients on ventilators, those with deep soft tissue infections, and the immunocompromised,” says Philip Rather, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine and the corresponding author of the study.
Jennifer Colquhoun, a research scientist at Emory and the first author of the paper, added, “This novel finding repurposes an existing drug, exploits a newly identified vulnerability in an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, and opens doors for developing new antibiotics targeting similar pathways.”
Why It Matters
the implications of this discovery are significant:
Fast-Track potential: The fact that fendiline can selectively kill drug-resistant bacteria suggests a potential for a quicker path to clinical use, offering a much-needed treatment option for infections that are currently challenging or impossible to manage with existing antibiotics. Quicker Deployment: Since fendiline is already FDA-approved for its original use, there’s a strong possibility for expedited clinical trials and faster deployment, especially for treating serious hospital-acquired infections, particularly in vulnerable, immunocompromised patients.
Targeted Action: Importantly, the drug appears to selectively target the specific bacterium, leaving the beneficial bacteria in a patient’s gut flora unharmed. this targeted approach minimizes the disruption to the body’s natural microbiome, a common side effect of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
This breakthrough offers a promising new avenue in the urgent quest for effective treatments against the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
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Source: Emory University*