Our solution
It is evident that we need to have an alternative solution for fighting tuberculosis bacteria, and we propose to do this by disrupting the bacterial cell wall using enzymes from mycobacteria specific phages (the viruses that enter mycobacterial cells, multiply and the newly produced virus particles are released from the cells as their enzymes degrade the cell wall). This approach for potential TB treatment will generate no or much less resistance than traditional antibiotics affecting basic bacterial growth.
To identify a new anti-mycobacterial drug, we have turned to study mycobacteria specific lysin-enzymes. We found that by genetically combining different lysins surprisingly high efficacy and specificity could be achieved in anti-bacterial assays. Mycobacteria are killed within minutes as compared to weeks for antibiotics.
Tuberculosis
Mycobacteria are bacterial pathogens found in the environment that can cause a variety of infections in lungs, on skin and in soft tissue. The most well-known, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causes tuberculosis (TB). Yet another one, Mycobacterium leprae, causes leprosy. Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. World Health Organization reports that 1.5 million people died from TB in 2019. The threat of resistant TB adds significant burden to an already existing world health problem.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is naturally (intrinsic) resistant to many antibiotics, limiting the number of compounds available for treatment. This resistance is due to a number of mechanisms including a thick, waxy, hydrophobic cell envelope and the presence of drug degrading and modifying enzymes. The combinations of intrinsic and acquired drug resistance mechanisms render the M. tuberculosis resistant to most classes of antibiotics. The increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is at the same time a major emerging threat to human health, and TB resistance to the current drugs is on the rise. New drugs for TB treatment are urgently needed.
