Nano robot that kills only bacteria, no antibiotic resistance

Synthesis of antibiotic nanobots and a schematic diagram of the effectiveness verification using a mouse model infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [사진=연구재단 제공]
Synthesis of antibiotic nanobots and a schematic diagram of the effectiveness verification using a mouse model infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [사진=연구재단 제공]

A nanorobot was developed that kills only bacteria with free radicals against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It is expected that the application of a new method different from the conventional antibiotic sterilization method, in which resistance inevitably occurs, will lead to the development of an infection treatment free from resistance.

The Korea Research Foundation (Chairman Noh Jeong-hye), together with the research team of Professor Kim Kyung-gyu and Sungkyunkwan University, together with research teams from Sungkyunkwan University and Seoul National University, developed a 20nm-sized nanorobot that reacts to external electrical signals by selectively binding to Staphylococcus aureus and induces disinfection by generating active oxygen. It was announced on the 13th that it was developed.

The research team injected a nanorobot into a mouse model of cellulitis infected with resistant Staphylococcus aureus and applied an electrical signal. As a result, it was observed that the infectious bacteria were rapidly killed and the inflammation disappeared.

When a nanorobot is added to the culture of macrophages (animals) infected with Staphylococcus aureus and an electric current is applied, the nanorobot bound to the bacterial cell wall reacts to electrical stimulation to generate free radicals, destroying the cell membrane.

The research team designed a nanorobot that only sticks to bacteria, not animal cells, and generates free radicals when desired.

Selectivity for bacteria was obtained by coating iron nanoparticles with a docking protein (endolysine), which is necessary when bacteriophage parasites in bacteria. In addition, by inducing the generation of active oxygen from iron nanoparticles through electrical stimulation, it gave temporal selectivity for killing bacteria.

Conventional antibiotics target proteins possessed by bacteria, so bacteria with mutations in the target protein survive the adaptation process and inevitably develop resistant bacteria. There were antibiotics that bind to the bacterial cell membrane and damage the cell membrane, but the occurrence of resistant bacteria with altered cell membranes could not be avoided.

On the other hand, cell membrane damage caused by free radicals cannot be overcome by simple gene mutations, so the possibility of developing resistant bacteria is very low.

Antibiotic nanorobots have high potential for clinical application by coating iron nanoparticles with silicon and protein while enabling nanorobots to be driven with low-energy electrical stimulation used in skin care. For this research in animal models to be put into practical use, it is necessary to prove safety through optimization of biocompatible materials and driving methods.

The results of this research, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Research Foundation’s bio-medical technology development project, were published on the online edition of’Small’, an international academic journal in the field of nanomedicine.

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