PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A new weapon in the war against superbugs

Tel Aviv University researchers find a protein that viruses use to kill bacteria

2013-12-03
(Press-News.org) Contact information: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
A new weapon in the war against superbugs Tel Aviv University researchers find a protein that viruses use to kill bacteria In the arms race between bacteria and modern medicine, bacteria have gained an edge. In recent decades, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed faster than the production of new antibiotics, making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat. Scientists worry that a particularly virulent and deadly "superbug" could one day join the ranks of existing untreatable bacteria, causing a public health catastrophe comparable with the Black Death.

Now research led by Dr. Udi Qimron of Tel Aviv University's Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine has discovered a protein that kills bacteria. The isolation of this protein, produced by a virus that attacks bacteria, is a major step toward developing a substitute for conventional antibiotics. "To stay ahead of bacterial resistance, we have to keep developing new antibiotics," said Dr. Qimron. "What we found is a small protein that could serve as a powerful antibiotic in the future."

Dr. Ido Yosef, Ruth Kiro, and Shahar Molshanski-Mor of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Dr. Sara Milam and Prof. Harold Erickson of Duke University contributed to the research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Teaming up with a killer

Bacterial resistance is a natural process. But over the past sixty years or so, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics has pushed more and more bacteria to become more and more resistant, undermining one of the pillars of modern health care. Recently, the World Health Organization named growing antibiotic resistance one of the three greatest threats to public health.

Bacteriophages, often referred to as "phages," are viruses that infect and replicate in bacteria. Because they coevolved with bacteria, they are optimized to kill them. As proof of their endurance, phages are the most common life form on earth, outnumbering bacteria 10 to one. In places like the former Soviet Union, phages have been used to treat bacterial infections for the past hundred years. Harmless to humans, they inject their DNA into bacteria and rapidly replicate, killing their hosts.

"Ever since the discovery of bacteriophages in the early 20th century, scientists have understood that, on the principle of the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend,' medical use could be made of phages to fight viruses," said Dr. Qimron.

Breaking out the little guns

Dr. Qimron and his colleagues set out to understand how all 56 proteins found in T7, a particularly virulent phage that infects Escherichia coli bacteria, contribute to its functioning. They discovered that one of the proteins, called 0.4, impedes cell division in E. coli, causing the cells of the bacteria to elongate and then die. The protein is common to many bacteria and a similar process occurs in all bacteria, so the finding may have wide application.

No bacteriophage preparation has been approved in Western medicine for treating systemic bacterial infections. One reason is their inability to penetrate body tissues effectively. They are filtered effectively from the bloodstream by the spleen and liver, and occasionally neutralized by antibodies. But the 0.4 protein is much smaller than a whole phage, and so should be able to penetrate tissue better, getting to the bacteria to do its deadly work.

The major challenge for pharmaceutical companies will be figuring out how exactly to deliver the protein as a drug, said Dr. Qimron. In the meantime, he continues to hunt for other proteins that kill bacteria.

### American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). Rooted in a pan-disciplinary approach to education, TAU is internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship — attracting world-class faculty and consistently producing cutting-edge work with profound implications for the future. TAU is independently ranked 116th among the world's top universities and #1 in Israel. It joins a handful of elite international universities that rank among the best producers of successful startups.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat

2013-12-03
Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat ANN ARBOR—Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is riskier than just drinking alcohol alone, according to a new study that examines the impact of a growing trend among young adults. Published in the current issue ...

A living desert underground

2013-12-03
A living desert underground In the perpetual darkness of a limestone cave, UA researchers have discovered a surprisingly diverse ecosystem of microbes eking out a living from not much more than drip water, rock and air Hidden underneath the hilly grasslands studded ...

Ethnic identification helps Latina adolescents resist media barrage of body images

2013-12-03
Ethnic identification helps Latina adolescents resist media barrage of body images CORVALLIS, Ore. – A strong sense of ethnic identity can help Latina girls feel positive about their body and appearance, a new study concludes, even as this group ...

Aerobic fitness and hormones predict recognition memory in young adults

2013-12-03
Aerobic fitness and hormones predict recognition memory in young adults (Boston) – Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found further evidence that exercise may be beneficial for brain health and cognition. The findings, which ...

'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring

2013-12-03
'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that altering genes in sperm and then inducing fertilization, produces new genes that are present and active in the embryos and inherited ...

Bothersome pain afflicts half of older Americans

2013-12-03
Bothersome pain afflicts half of older Americans Findings from a unique study underscore need for public health action on pain and disability in the elderly, reports PAIN® Philadelphia, December 2, 2013 – More than half of older adults in the United States – ...

Mission possible: Simulation-based training and experimentation on display

2013-12-03
Mission possible: Simulation-based training and experimentation on display A unique system that merges the virtual and real worlds to train Sailors for combat scenarios was unveiled Dec. 2 in Orlando. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is demonstrating ...

NASA investigating the life of Comet ISON

2013-12-03
NASA investigating the life of Comet ISON After several days of continued observations, scientists continue to work to determine and to understand the fate of Comet ISON: There's no doubt that the comet shrank in size considerably as it rounded ...

Genetic mutation may play key role in risk of lethal prostate cancer in overweight patients

2013-12-03
Genetic mutation may play key role in risk of lethal prostate cancer in overweight patients Boston, MA — Obesity is associated with a worse prostate cancer prognosis among men whose tumors contain a specific genetic mutation, suggest results from a new study ...

NASA's HS3 hurricane mission called it a wrap for 2013

2013-12-03
NASA's HS3 hurricane mission called it a wrap for 2013 NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storms Sentinel airborne mission known as HS3 wrapped up for the 2013 Atlantic Ocean hurricane season at the end of September, and had several highlights. HS3 will return ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species

[Press-News.org] A new weapon in the war against superbugs
Tel Aviv University researchers find a protein that viruses use to kill bacteria