Scientists combine viruses and human antibodies to hunt down superbugs

Researchers at The Rockefeller University have developed a new weapon in the war against antibiotic resistance, by creating a molecule that combines a virus and human antibodies to hunt down drug-resistant bacteria. 

Our antibiotics aren't the only things that hunt down bacteria: a certain type of virus, called a bacteriophage, also preys on them, using enzymes called lysins that bind to carbohydrates on the bacteria's surface, before slicing through the cell wall and killing the bug.

Human antibodies work in a similar way, except they struggle to spot carbohydrates and bind instead to proteins. Noticing the similarities between the two, the Rockefeller team set about creating hybrid molecules that take the best of both worlds.

The team made three different types of these hybrid molecules, which it calls "lysibodies." Two of them were created from viruses, while a third was derived from a bacteria, which uses a similar enzyme to change its cell walls as it grows. All three were engineered to target a common bacteria known as Staphylococcus aureus or Staph, and one particular antibiotic-resistant strain called MRSA.

When pit against the bugs, the lysibodies successfully latched onto the carbohydrates and triggered an immune response, and managed to do so for a variety of Staph strains as well as other related pathogens. In tests on mice infected with MRSA, one lysibody treatment worked to improve the lifespan of the animals while another prevented severe kidney infections from taking hold.