Thiruvananthapuram– Scientists at the BRIC-Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram have identified a promising new approach to tackle the global health crisis of antibiotic resistance. The breakthrough centers on targeting porins—protein channels found in the outer membranes of pathogenic bacteria—to improve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.
The study, published in Small, a peer-reviewed journal focused on nanoscience and nanotechnology, is the result of a collaborative effort involving Dr. Mahendran’s lab at RGCB, Dr. Arumugam Rajavelu’s team at IIT Madras, and Dr. Jagannath Mondal’s group at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad.
“Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a critical challenge to healthcare, especially for pharmacologists,” said RGCB Director Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana. “This research, with its interdisciplinary approach, opens exciting avenues to improve antibiotic transport into bacterial cells and counter resistance.”
Bacteria often evolve to resist antibiotics by modifying or downregulating porins, which are essential for allowing antibiotic molecules to enter the cell. When these channels are blocked or altered, drugs can no longer reach their target, rendering treatment ineffective.
The team focused their research on CymAKp, a dynamic porin found in Klebsiella pneumoniae, a high-priority pathogen according to the World Health Organization. Using cutting-edge biophysical techniques and computational modeling, the scientists discovered that CymAKp is specially tuned to facilitate the uptake of cyclic sugars—insight that could be leveraged to optimize antibiotic design.
By analyzing how certain antibiotics interact with these lesser-studied porins, the researchers believe they have identified a viable pathway to bypass bacterial defenses and restore the potency of current drugs.
The research received support from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India; the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) under the Department of Science and Technology; and internal funding from RGCB. (Source: IANS)
