UK-based drug company to take up MRSA bug buster fight
North-east researchers’ breakthrough may lead to treatments to starve deadly infection
Published:
A DRUG company is looking to develop groundbreaking new treatments for the potentially deadly hospital superbug MRSA following a breakthrough by a team of north-east researchers.
Aberdeen University professor Jorg Feldmann and a team of international scientists discovered earlier this year that a protein released naturally by the human body has the power to starve MRSA of the “food” it needs to spread. It is hoped the protein, calprotectin, can be developed into a treatment which would beat the killer infection.
Last night Prof Feldmann, 43, said there has been huge interest in his team’s findings, including inquiries from a UK-based drug company.
“We have had contact from a drug company who are interested in developing our research into a drug.
“We are applying for some further funding to get more people involved to take the research to the next step and carry out small-scale tests to find out more about our discovery.”
The team’s findings, announced in February, were welcomed with optimism by leading scientists who said it moved research for a cure into new territory.
To fight disease, the human body naturally produces a white blood cell called neutrophil, which eats up bacteria. If that fails, the cells release calprotectin. Bacteria need zinc and manganese – which is naturally produced by the human body – to grow and spread. The scientists have discovered calprotectin can bind these metals, starving MRSA of its food source.
The body releases only small amounts of calprotectin but it is hoped that pharmacists can now develop a larger dose. The team of researchers involved in the study included scientists from Tennessee, Nebraska and Washington in the US, and Munster in Germany.
MRSA is spreading throughout the world, in hospitals and also in the community where people are in close contact.
The term “MRSA” – methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus – is used to describe examples of the organism which are resistant to common antibiotics.
The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is found on many individuals’ skin and in mucous membranes but seems to cause no major problems. But, if it gets inside the body – for instance under the skin or into the lungs – it can cause infections such as boils or pneumonia.
If the organism is on the skin, it can be passed by physical contact. If the organism is in the nose or is associated with the lungs, then it may be passed around by droplets from the mouth and nose.
Deaths from superbugs such as MRSA continue to rise across Scotland.
Last year hospital-acquired infections were a contributing factor in 422 deaths, up from 401 in 2005.
