Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

New chemical probes could help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

By Sean Whooley | May 27, 2021

University of Texas glowing chemical probes

[Image from the University of Texas]

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are touting chemical probes designed to help identify an enzyme produced by bacterias.

The team at UT Austin developed the probes to identify the enzyme produced by some types of E. coli and pneumococcal bacteria that are resistant to treatment because of their ability to break down several common types of antibiotics, according to a news release.

In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the researchers focused on the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) bacterial enzyme, aiming to create a molecule that glows when it comes into contact with the enzyme. The probes developed by the researchers, once added to a test tube, bind to the enzyme and begin to glow, offering an option for doctors to understand what kind of bacterial threat exists and select the most effective antibiotics for the patient.

Additionally, the chemical probe may help to find a different way to combat drug-resistant bacteria. Although there is no known clinically effective inhibitor for NDM-producing bacteria, the researchers believe the probe could help to find one. After the probe binds to the enzyme and begins to glow, if an effective inhibitor is introduced, the probe will be knocked loose and the glowing would cease.

NDM can potentially break down antibiotics in the penicillin, cephalosporin and carbapenem classes, and while other classes of antibiotics exist, the researchers say they carry more side effects, have more drug interactions and may be less available in some parts of the world.

“In response to antibiotic treatment, bacteria have evolved various mechanisms to resist that treatment, and one of those is to make enzymes that basically chew up the antibiotics before they can do their job,” UT Austin assistant professor of chemistry and leading researcher Emily Que said in the release. “The type of tool we developed gives us critical information that could keep us one step ahead of deadly bacteria.”

Researchers also found that the probe can be used to study nutritional immunity, a process that comes from the body’s production of proteins in response to an infection. Those proteins take all available metals in the body, such as the zinc required to make NDM, which makes the bacteria more susceptible to attack.

The study also examined a process called nutritional immunity, which comes from the human body’s production of proteins in response to an infection. The proteins snatch up all the available metals in the body, such as the zinc required to make NDM, rendering the bacteria more susceptible to attack.

“The evolution of this bacteria since its discovery in 2008 indicates that not only is it developing antibiotic resistance, it’s attempting to combat this natural human immune process. That’s particularly scary,” Que said.


Filed Under: Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease
Tagged With: University of Texas at Austin
 

About The Author

Sean Whooley

Sean Whooley is an associate editor who mainly produces work for MassDevice, Medical Design & Outsourcing and Drug Delivery Business News. He received a bachelor's degree in multiplatform journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. You can connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at swhooley@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Korean team reports all-in-one cancer nanomedicine in pre-clinical studies
Nektar’s Phase 2b atopic dermatitis win triggers 1,746% analyst target surge, but legal tussle with ex-partner Lilly could complicate path forward
Dupixent approved to treat bullous pemphigoid
EVEREST lead investigator on why Dupixent sets a new bar for treating coexisting CRSwNP and asthma
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE