“The mechanism that PPMOs use to kill bacteria is revolutionary”
Researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions today announced the successful use of a new type of antibacterial agent called a PPMO, which appears to function as well or better than an antibiotic, but may be more precise and also solve problems with antibiotic resistance.
In animal studies, one form of PPMO showed significant control of two strains of Acinetobacter, a group of bacteria of global concern that has caused significant mortality among military personnel serving in Middle East combat.
The new PPMOs offer a fundamentally different attack on bacterial infection, researchers say.
They specifically target the underlying genes of a bacterium, whereas conventional antibiotics just disrupt its cellular function and often have broader, unwanted impacts. As they are further developed, PPMOs should offer a completely different and more precise approach to managing bacterial infection, or conceptually almost any disease that has an underlying genetic component.
The findings were published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, by researchers from OSU, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Sarepta, Inc., a Corvallis, Ore., firm.
“The mechanism that PPMOs use to kill bacteria is revolutionary,” said Bruce Geller, a professor of microbiology in the OSU College of Science and lead author on the study. “They can be synthesized to target almost any gene, and in that way avoid the development of antibiotic resistance and the negative impacts sometimes associated with broad-spectrum antibiotics.
“Molecular medicine,” Geller said, “is the way of the future.”
PPMO stands for a peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer – a synthetic analog of DNA or RNA that has the ability to silence the expression of specific genes. Compared to conventional antibiotics, which are often found in nature, PPMOs are completely synthesized in the laboratory with a specific genetic target in mind.
In animal laboratory tests against A. baumannii, one of the most dangerous Acinetobacter strains, PPMOs were far more powerful than some conventional antibiotics like ampicillin, and comparable to the strongest antibiotics available today. They were also effective in cases where the bacteria were resistant to antibiotics.
PPMOs have not yet been tested in humans. However, their basic chemical structure, the PMO, has been extensively tested in humans and found safe. Although the addition of the peptide to the PPMO poses an uncertain risk of toxicity, the potency of PPMOs reduces the risk while greatly improving delivery of the PMOs into bacterial cells, Geller said.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
PPMO
- Tender for Gautam Buddha Int'l Cricket Stadium canceled, new tender to be issued
The tender for constructing additional infrastructure for the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur, Chitwan, has been canceled due to budget constraints. Bharatpur Metropolitan ...
- Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. beats earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $0.37, expectations were $-0.11. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.
- Q1 2024 Sarepta Therapeutics Inc Earnings Call
Q1 2024 Sarepta Therapeutics Inc Earnings Call ...
- Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Good afternoon, and welcome to the Sarepta Therapeutics first quarter 2024 earnings call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. As a reminder, today's program is being recorded. At ...
- Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
MOMENTUM is an ongoing study of SRP-5051, our investigational peptide-conjugated PMO or PPMO. And based on the data we generated to date, we believe SRP-5051 represents a best-in-class therapy ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
PPMO
[google_news title=”” keyword=”PPMO” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Antibacterial agent
- Provectus Biopharmaceuticals Announces Eight Presentations of Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy at ARVO 2024 Annual Meeting
BPEI (Poster no. B0448, Session: Cornea), Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy as an Adjuvant Treatment ... The safety and efficacy of Provectus’s drug agents and/or their uses under ...
- Oral fungal infection treatment shows promise in preclinical trials
A novel oral amphotericin B (MAT2203) developed by Matinas BioPharma for treatment of invasive mucormycosis (IM) and other deadly invasive fungal infections, has demonstrated encouraging results in a ...
- CRISPR is promising to tackle antimicrobial resistance, but remember bacteria can fight back
CRISPR/Cas systems can also be employed for developing antimicrobial agents: introduction of self-targeting crRNAs will effectively and selectively kill target bacterial populations. Due to the ...
- Researchers systematically investigate efficacy of CRISPR antimicrobial agents
The antimicrobial potential of CRISPR-Cas systems ... However, the development pipeline for new agents has slowed, while the improper use of existing antibiotics has fueled the emergence of ...
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Antimicrobial Agents. Part I
Few papers have analyzed the possible additional immunomodulatory activity of antiviral agents. In particular, cellular uptake, a critical property for these intracellular acting drugs is not studied.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Antibacterial agent
[google_news title=”” keyword=”antibacterial agent” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]