Scientists from Palacký University Olomouc (UP) and the Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), in collaboration with colleagues from China, have discovered a groundbreaking method for developing a new generation of antibiotics. These antibiotics not only combat a wide range of bacteria but also effectively prevent the development of bacterial resistance. By employing atomic engineering, the researchers transformed manganese—a trace element vital for human health—into a potent antibiotic by embedding it in the structure of chemically modified graphene. Tests conducted on animal models have demonstrated the material’s significant potential, particularly in localized therapies such as wound healing. The discovery has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials, and the team has filed a European patent to safeguard their innovation.
„The material we developed successfully kills and inhibits the growth of all bacteria we studied, including highly resistant pathogens. It operates at low concentrations, which are completely harmless to human cells. Furthermore, bacteria cannot develop resistance to it, thus addressing one of modern medicine’s most pressing challenges. These promising results position atomic antibiotics for practical use in the near future,“ said Radek Zbo?il, a physical chemist and author of the research concept, who works at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN UP) and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO.
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News From VSB – Technical University of Ostrava
Transmitted by PR Newswire for Journalists on October 03, 2024 03:43 AM EDT
Atomic Antibiotics Developed by Czech Scientists Counter Bacterial Resistance
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists from Palacký University Olomouc (UP) and the Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), in collaboration with colleagues from China, have discovered a groundbreaking method for developing a new generation of antibiotics. These antibiotics not only combat a wide range of bacteria but also effectively prevent the development of bacterial resistance. By employing atomic engineering, the researchers transformed manganese—a trace element vital for human health—into a potent antibiotic by embedding it in the structure of chemically modified graphene. Tests conducted on animal models have demonstrated the material’s significant potential, particularly in localized therapies such as wound healing. The discovery has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials, and the team has filed a European patent to safeguard their innovation.
„The material we developed successfully kills and inhibits the growth of all bacteria we studied, including highly resistant pathogens. It operates at low concentrations, which are completely harmless to human cells. Furthermore, bacteria cannot develop resistance to it, thus addressing one of modern medicine’s most pressing challenges. These promising results position atomic antibiotics for practical use in the near future,“ said Radek Zbo?il, a physical chemist and author of the research concept, who works at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN UP) and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO.
A Frontal Attack with Manganese
In developing this antibiotic, the scientists drew on their expertise in graphene chemistry and atomic engineering, fields they have extensively studied in recent years. This time, they utilized a graphene derivative enriched with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, chemically incorporating manganese—a transition metal that is involved in metabolism, bone formation, blood sugar regulation and cellular protection against oxidative stress.
„We chose to target one of the strongest defences of bacteria—the carbohydrates in their cell walls and membranes, which are crucial for their survival. These carbohydrates play a protective role, facilitate substance transfer, enable communication with the environment, and serve as energy reserves. By chemically binding manganese to specific carbohydrate groups, we suppressed these critical functions, ultimately causing cell death. The graphene carrier plays an essential role by ensuring the delivery of manganese ions to the bacterial surface, which enables a direct chemical attack on the carbohydrate molecules,“ Zbo?il explained.
