Funding research into antibiotic resistance

The US National Institutes of Health has awarded two research grants totalling $9.8 million to the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (FMNHS) and the Prince Henry Institute and Monash Institute of Medical Research.

The funding will support an international team of researchers in designing, developing and evaluating new treatments for life-threatening infections caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

MRSA is mainly acquired in hospitals; however, it is increasingly being reported in the community and is resistant to many available antibiotics, including even ‘last resort’ options such as vancomycin.

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a major public health problem and the funding comes at a critical point, with the World Health Organization recently listing antibiotic-resistant bacteria as one of the three greatest threats to human health.

“The world is on the brink of a return to the pre-antibiotic era. Doctors are running out of treatment options for some life-threatening infections. It is vitally important that research is funded so that we can find new treatment options and stem the rising tide of antibiotic-resistant superbugs,” said lead researcher Professor Jian Li from MIPS. 

As well as developing new therapies, the team will also review the effectiveness of existing drugs and work out whether they can be combined with an old class of antibiotic, called polymyxins.

“Polymyxins have been increasingly prescribed over the last decade in an attempt to combat bacteria that are resistant to all other antibiotics,” said Professor Li. “Until recently, they were rarely used because of potential side effects and they were seen as a last ditch attempt to fight off the superbugs. What’s worrying is that infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to polymyxins are now being reported around the world.

“We believe our research will lead to better ways of dosing polymyxins alone and in combination with currently available drugs, to maximise the killing of bacteria and minimise the development of resistance and adverse effects in patients.”