In past years, fear of infectious disease progressively dwindled. The flu or common cold has been treated with a short trip to the doctor and a few pills. Unfortunately, the bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that cause illness are growing increasingly immune to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics. As of 2017, 700,000 people die annually from antimicrobial resistance. If no preventative action is taken, that number is projected to skyrocket to 10 million by 2050.
In an effort to combat this growing threat, researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel have created a revolutionary DNA-editing technology that will remedy disease-immune pathogens.
“We’ve developed a technology that significantly expands DNA delivery into bacterial pathogens,” said Udi Qimron, professor in the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, in a statement. “This may indeed be a milestone, because it opens up many opportunities for DNA manipulations of bacteria that were impossible to accomplish before.”
Once DNA is delivered, researchers will use DNA-editing tools, such as CRISPR, to program bacteria to be more sensitive to antibiotics and less virulent.
The Research
Prof. Qimron’s research team included Dr. Ido Yosef, Dr. Moran Goren, Rea Globus and Shahar Molshanski. All research was conducted in Qimron’s lab and developed with support of internal funds. The research was awarded $700,000 through the Momentum Fund, a fund established by Ramot, TAU’s business engagement center.
The team used bacteriophages (viruses that can infect and destroy bacteria) to introduce DNA into pathogenic bacteria to limit their virulence. A single bacteriophage can adapt to a wide range of bacteria, which could ultimately lead to the development of working drugs.
In the research, the team genetically engineered bacteriophages to hold the new, desired DNA, rather than its original genome. They also used nanoparticles from separate bacteriophages to create a hybrid that can “see” and target new pathogenic bacteria.
This revolutionary DNA-delivering technology could change the genetic makeup of microorganisms in humans.
The researchers are not new to the fight against antimicrobial resistance. “We previously demonstrated a proof-of-principle for an approach to sensitize antibiotic-resistant strains to antibiotics,” Qimron informed TUN. “A major obstacle in applying this technology was the lack of efficient tools to deliver DNA into pathogens. In the current study, we have taken a major step toward overcoming this obstacle.”
Now, researchers are using their technology to develop working hygiene products, probiotics, and novel antibiotics. “We are currently developing preliminary stage products in these three directions,” said Qimron. “Some products may take long to develop, while others may be ripe in the next few years.” The patent for the technology is pending.
TAU has a history of inventing and prospering economic growth in Israel. With 2,400 patents, TAU ranks at 29th in the world for patents from academic institutions.
