{"id":3789,"date":"2025-05-05T08:49:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3789"},"modified":"2025-05-05T08:49:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:49:52","slug":"engineered-rifamycin-shows-promise-against-deadly-mycobacterium-abscessus-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3789","title":{"rendered":"Engineered Rifamycin Shows Promise Against Deadly Mycobacterium abscessus Infections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Scientists from the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) have developed a new drug candidate to combat&nbsp;<em>Mycobacterium abscessus<\/em>, a dangerous infection affecting immunocompromised patients and those with lung diseases. By chemically modifying a widely used antibiotic, the team created a more effective treatment, as reported in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2423842122\"><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em><\/a>. This breakthrough could save lives by addressing a growing health threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research focused on&nbsp;<em>Mycobacterium abscessus<\/em>, a pathogen resistant to traditional rifamycin antibiotics, which are typically effective against tuberculosis (TB). The team re-engineered rifabutin to overcome this resistance while minimizing drug interactions, a critical concern for cystic fibrosis patients. Over five years, they tested numerous compounds, identifying two that excelled in laboratory and animal models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These next-generation rifamycins also show potential against other mycobacterial infections, including&nbsp;<em>Mycobacterium avium complex<\/em>&nbsp;(MAC) and TB. The rise of&nbsp;<em>M. abscessus<\/em>&nbsp;infections, particularly among cystic fibrosis patients, underscores the urgency of this work. Recent studies suggest environmental factors, such as mineral-rich water, may contribute to its spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Thomas Dick, a lead author, highlighted the collaborative effort:&nbsp;<em>&#8220;This achievement stems from a remarkable partnership across academia and global labs.&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;The team emphasized the drug\u2019s potential, noting it will advance to clinical development stages. This engineered rifamycin represents a significant advancement in treating&nbsp;<em>M. abscessus<\/em>&nbsp;and related infections. With further development, it could fill a critical gap in combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens, offering hope for vulnerable patients worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists from the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) have developed a new drug candidate to combat&nbsp;Mycobacterium abscessus, a dangerous infection affecting immunocompromised patients and those with lung diseases. By chemically modifying a widely used antibiotic, the team created a more effective treatment, as reported in&nbsp;Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1565],"tags":[1566],"class_list":["post-3789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-medicine","tag-health-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3790,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789\/revisions\/3790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}