A research team from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Pulmobiotics, a company founded by Dr Maria Lluch, lecturer for the Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences, has designed the first “living pill” to treat lung infections. The treatment targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria that is naturally resistant to many types of antibiotics and is a common source of infections in hospitals.

Treatment entails using a modified version of the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, eliminating its pathogenic capacity and adapting it to eliminate the biofilms formed by P. aeruginosa, one of the main antibiotic resistance mechanisms of these pathogens. The modified bacterium is used in combination with low doses of antibiotics that would not be effective on their own. The scientific team found that treatment of acute pneumonia in mice models showed a two-fold increase in the survival rate. Additionally, in cooperation with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, they have shown that the treatment works and eliminates biofilms formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in samples from the endotracheal tubes of patients in ICU units.

The finding of the study were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology and received support from the “la Caixa” Foundation through the CaixaResearch Health call. The study was led by the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Pulmobiotics in cooperation with the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer [August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute] (IDIBAPS), the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the Institute of Agrobiotechnology (IdAB), a research institute under the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Government of Navarra. 

P. aeruginosa infections are difficult to treat the because the bacteria live in communities that form biofilms. Biofilms can attach themselves to various surfaces in the body, forming impenetrable structures that escape the reach of antibiotics. “We have developed a battering ram that lays siege to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The treatment opens holes in the cell walls and creates key entry points for antibiotics to invade and eliminate the infection at its source. We believe this is a promising new strategy to address the leading cause of mortality in hospitals,” explains Dr Maria Lluch, scientific director of Pulmobiotics, lead co-author of the study and researcher at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.