A Dream Team vs. Deadly Infections

Every year, nearly 100,000 people die in health care settings in the U.S. due to infections such as sepsis, staph and pneumonia. This is largely because antibiotic resistance is making these infections increasingly difficult to treat.

But there is hope on the horizon. Yanan “Nancy” Zhao, a professor of pharmacy practice at the University at Buffalo, is working on a powerful new class of antibiotics that can take on resistant bacteria. They show such promise that Zhao was awarded a nearly $4 million research grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health to continue developing them.

Bacteria are broadly classified into two groups: gram-positive and gram-negative. While both groups can cause serious infections, gram-negative bacteria have become a particular concern in clinical settings due to their increasing resistance to antibiotics. This resistance arises from various mechanisms, one of which is structural modifications of an outer membrane that reduce antibiotic permeability.

Zhao is making innovative structural design changes to a class of antibiotics called biamyxins, which have the ability to bind tightly to this outer membrane. This property allows them to more effectively fight the bacteria.

According to Zhao, the first compound in development has already proven itself capable of attacking a range of gram-negative bacteria in rodents, including those resistant to colistin, a commonly used antibiotic of last resort. Most importantly, it has a low toxicity to human cells.

“Renal toxicity is the biggest limitation,” Zhao said of existing drug options. “Erasing toxicity is the advantage I’m hoping to see with our drug.”

Zhao is an internationally recognized infectious disease and antimicrobial researcher. Both she and her co-investigator on the project, Liang Chen, joined UB’s faculty this past spring. 

“The recruitment of Dr. Chen and Dr. Zhao serves as a major catalyst to create a ‘dream team’ of world-leading, NIH-funded investigators in translational therapeutics to combat the world’s most pressing problems in infectious disease and save countless lives,” said Gary Pollock, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Zhao is fully on board with that plan. “The urgent need for new therapeutic options to combat resistant infections motivates me to push the boundaries of our understanding and contribute to the development of novel treatments,” she said. “This grant provides an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a field that aligns closely with my professional goals and personal commitment to improving public health.”