Development of new metal-antibiotics against pathogens causing chronic infections in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Duración

01/01/2017 - 31/12/2019

Coordinador

Sara M. Soto

Financiadores

Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

Airways infection remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, estimated at 85% in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Haemophilus influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia complex, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and non-tuberculosis mycobacteriae, are the main microorganisms involved in these infections. Respiratory microbiota of a CF patient is exposed to a strong antibiotic pressure due to frequent and prolonged treatments, leading to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the selection of highly resistant strains.

The main objective of this project is the research and development of functional gold complexes (metalantibiotcs) that are active against these microorganisms both in planktonic state and growing in biofilms. To do this, phenotypic methods directed to microbiological analysis of antomicrobial resistance (antibiogram), the analysis of resistance of biofilms (antibiofilmogram), the study of susceptibility against combinations of metalantibiotcs/conventional antibiotics, chemical methods for metalantibiotcs synthesis and development, as well as molecular methods such as genomics, will be used.

Total funding

157,602 €