Sugar molecules could be a new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria, according to a study published in Nature Chemical Biology. The research focuses on a sugar molecule known as pseudaminic acid, which is produced exclusively by bacteria and used by many dangerous pathogens to evade immune responses. Because humans do not produce this sugar, it represents a highly differentiated target for immunotherapy development. The team first chemically synthesized the bacterial sugar and sugar-decorated peptides from scratch, allowing them to determine the exact three-dimensional arrangement of the molecule and how it is presented on bacterial surfaces. They then developed a 'pan-specific' antibody capable of recognizing the sugar across a wide range of bacterial species and strains. In mouse infection models, the antibody successfully eliminated multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, a notorious cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia and bloodstream infections. The study's co-first author, Dr. Niccolay Madiedo Soler, highlights the potential of this approach, stating, 'Our work serves as a powerful proof-of-concept experiment that opens the door to the development of new life-saving passive immunotherapies.' The research also emphasizes the importance of combining chemical synthesis with biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, and infection biology. Professor Richard Payne explains, 'By precisely building these bacterial sugars in the lab with synthetic chemistry, we were able to understand their shape at the molecular level and develop antibodies that bind them with high specificity.' This breakthrough has significant implications for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections and could lead to the development of clinic-ready antibody therapies targeting multidrug-resistant A. baumannii. The team aims to translate these findings into applications in biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation, with the potential to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
