December 9, 2020
Gauri Rao, Pharm.D., M.S., has been awarded a $1.88 million U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) grant to help fight antibiotic resistant superbugs with regards to wound care, and ultimately help ease the economic burden of caring for bacterial wound infections.
The cost of chronic wound care in the United States is staggering at over $2.6 billion a year, according to Rao, assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Of the billions spent by the U.S. military and public health care systems on would care, much is attributed to lengthy hospitalisations because of infections caused by bacterial pathogens that are resistant to available antibiotics.
“Deployed troops who are wounded during operations or training are susceptible to bacterial infections,” Rao said. “Worryingly, the danger posed by these ‘superbugs’ resistant to even last-line antibiotic therapy such as polymyxins has been increasingly reported, leaving us with virtually no antibiotics for the treatment of wound and burn infections due to these highly resistant bacteria. This is a growing problem that not only affects military personnel but is also a huge global health burden.”
The topical use of antibiotics often remains a superior approach for the treatment and management of these wound infections compared to the parenteral administration (injection).
Through this two-year project, Rao will focus on the development of the first resistance-proof, broad spectrum, long-acting teixobactins that are conjugated or combined with lipopeptide potentiators that could be used as a stable and durable hydrogel wound dressing.
Given the distinctive biological and non-sterile nature of the wound environment, hydrogels containing antimicrobials are important for providing an effective targeted cure. Such antimicorbial hydrogels facilitate cellular immunological activity essential to the wound healing process.
“Ideally, this hydrogel wound dressing would be included in a combat medic’s supply kit in the field,” Rao said. “While this advancement will aid in the protection and/or medical treatment of our military personnel, it can be applied to the broader health sector.”
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