Credit: Alexandria A. Oviatt et al.
Vanderbilt biochemists have discovered a new class of antibacterials that will be the first to be approved for use in humans in decades. The discovery comes as a result of a collaborative research endeavor to discover new treatment methods for urinary tract infections.
Urinary tract infections are pervasive bacterial infections that nearly 50%-60% of women will develop within their lifetime. The team, led by Neil Osheroff, has been analyzing the mechanism of action of gepotidacin against targets within Escherichia coli, the main cause of most urinary tract infections.
"Gepotidacin displayed well-balanced dual targeting of gyrase and topoisomerase IV in E. coli cells, which was reflected in a similar inhibition of the catalytic activities of these enzymes by the compound," said Neil Osheroff. "This finding is critical because it means that to get resistance to geoptidacin [sic], there will have to be simultaneous mutations in two separate enzymes. This makes it much less likely that resistance will develop."
The data that resulted from the study, published in ACS Infectious Diseases, is now being used as part of a GlaxoSmithKline application to the Food and Drug Administration to request approval for gepotidacin use in humans.
The application for gepotidacin use is expected to be submitted to the FDA by the end of 2024 with a decision regarding its use expected in 2025. If approved, gepotidacin would be the first new class of antibacterials for human use in decades.