UBC finds new tool to heal painful abscesses
When it comes to fighting bacterial infections that cause pus-filled lesions known as abscesses, antibiotics aren’t always effective. But UBC microbiologist Bob Hancock believes he may have found a more effective treatment by using a mini-protein known as
THE PROBLEM
Abscesses can occur almost anywhere in the human body, including in and around internal organs. They’re usually caused by bacterial infections and can cause severe, painful inflammation and sometimes open wounds.
“It’s a huge problem. There are 3.2 million emergency ward visits every year in the U.S. related to abscesses,” Hancock said.
THE EXISTING TREATMENTS
Since antibiotics aren’t effective, the usual treatment is to send the patient to surgery to have the abscess cut out, or have the lesion lanced and drained.
“The problem is that sometimes, especially when they’re really serious abscesses — things like people’s stomachs bloating out to 50 per cent more than their usual volume — then it’s quite possible for the infection to recur,” Hancock said.
THE RESEARCH
In a new paper in the journal EBioMedicine, Hancock and his colleagues outline how stressedout bacteria can cause abscesses in mice. The idea is that a lesion forms when there are too many bacteria in a small area and nutrients are limited, triggering a desperate bid for survival.
The researchers had successfully used peptides to combat the bacterial stress response in another type of infection called a biofilm, so they gave it a shot in abscesses using a synthetic peptide known as DJK-5. “Lo and behold, it worked,” Hancock said.
THE MECHANISM
“The peptides are taken up into the bacterium and they actually attach to a signalling molecule that is involved in the stress response.”
When the peptide binds to the signalling molecule, it causes it to be degraded by the bacterial cells’ own enzymes, essentially making the micro-organism forget that it’s under stress. The treatment appears to work on drug-resis- tant superbugs, and is even more effective when combined with antibiotics.
THE FUTURE
Hancock hopes to start testing the treatment in humans within a year, and plans to eventually produce it through ABT Innovations, a Victoria company he founded.
The peptide could likely be applied locally, rather than as something like a pill.
“It has the advantage that you would only have to deliver a relatively modest amount,” Hancock explained. That could mean an injection directly into the abscess, if the lesion is small enough. If it’s a bit bigger and needs to be treated with surgery, it might be applied as a liquid or a gel and packed into the wound while it heals.