Antibiotics
are used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. They have played a major
role in combating infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid
fever, and meningitis in 20th century. However, the improper use of antibiotics
has also led to the development of so called multi-drug resistance (MDR)
whereby bacteria change their response to these medicines and outlive them.
According
to the WHO antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global
health, food security, and development today. It is something that deeply
troubles specialists while many businesses and society at large feel little
concern. In comparison to oncology (cancer treatment) for example, relatively
little investment goes into finding new antibiotics. Firstly, this is because
it requires many years of testing (between 10 to 20) - while it may be easy to
find chemicals that kill bacteria, it is much more difficult to discover and
develop substances that are not also toxic to humans. Secondly, the most
innovative products cannot be sold freely as this would lead to overuse, which
in turn discourages business investment.
This issue
therefore demands new treatment strategies and sources of funding. Recent
improvements in nanotechnology to engineer nanoparticles with desired
physicochemical properties can be a new line of defense against MDR
micro-organisms. An example is the MARA project, funded by the FET Open
programme of the European Commission. Led by Austrian Institute Of Technology,
the project is supported by an interdisciplinary consortium that is seeking to
replace regular antibiotic research with a new DNA-based nanotechnology method
to fight bacteria. This approach draws on 3 new complementary technologies.
The first,
called Autonomous Detection Nucleic Acids (AUDENA), is a new
pathogen-associated antigen detection method. It uses pure DNA as a sensor
which recognizes target molecules in water-soluble substances and reacts by
changing color. This reaction can be seen by the naked eye, meaning no
laboratory instruments or sophisticated processing is required. AUDENA is
therefore cheaper to produce and implement.
The second
is a novel approach in protein mimicry based on artificial enzymes (DNA
structures emulating reactions of proteins) which can be used for a wide
variety of applications, for example in biotechnology, biomedical manufacturing
and even in the energy sector if it is possible to produce cheaper and more
stable enzymes.
The third
is based on Molecular Robots (MORO), which are already currently applied to
some industrial processes. In the context of MARA, functional DNA nanorobots
can locate bacterial pathogens or tumour cells before destroying them by
drilling through their cell walls. The coupling of the machines with
target-recognizing elements enables the design of various, specialized MOROs
creating an approach that has the potential to revolutionize disease therapy
and open up a new area in molecular medicine.
All these
technologies are connected to DNA nanotechnology, using nucleic acids rather
than proteins as has been common practice so far. Thanks to these results, MARA
can help to reduce the use of antibiotics by making them more targeted
(AUDENAS' objective), which will, in turn, slow down the progress of antibiotic
resistance, but it will not stop it. However, the other two technologies will
hopefully enable the bacteria to be approached in new ways. Consequently, the
impact of MARA might be huge on the healthcare of society as a whole.
The
project has already spawned a follow-up project. Through The EIC Transition to
Innovation Activities - a new funding programme launched in 2019 under the
Horizon 2020 scheme to enhance the exploitation potential of EU-funded
projects, the MARILIA project has created a new detection concept, based on
MARA's results, for the fast, low-cost identification of human pathogens in
water samples. The fast and cost-efficient detection of pathogens is highly
important in many sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and the food industry.
The commercial potential of MARILIA's results could lead to a start-up to take
the product to market and enhance the health and safety of people around the
world.