New PreMiEr Publication: Engineered Prodrug Targets Only Drug Resistant Bacteria

Many bacteria resist β-lactam antibiotics by producing enzymes called extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). A new study published in ACS Infectious Diseases and coauthored by PreMiEr researchers Lingchong You and Deverick Anderson turns that defense into a weakness. The team engineered a prodrug, AcephPT, that stays inactive until ESBL enzymes break it down, which releases a bactericidal agent only inside resistant cells. In mixed microbial cultures, AcephPT suppressed resistant strains, including clinical isolates, while nonresistant bacteria kept growing. The approach points toward treatments that target resistance while protecting beneficial microbes.

Read more here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00179