A professor in immunobiology from the AU will use a $ 1.9 million grant to study the therapeutic potential of copper

Pneumonia starts like this: a bacterial cell called Streptococcus pneumoniae enters the nostril. It moves in the nasal pbadage and in the lungs, where a war begins. In the lungs, S. pneumoniae meet immune cells called macrophages, who will do everything in their power to fight it.

Remarkably, in this war, the only thing that could subsist between a full-blown infection and perfect health is a few atoms of copper.

Bacteria need metals such as iron, calcium and manganese at all stages of their lives. In fact, bacterial cells so covet the iron that many do not even have the means to get rid of it, but only to let it in. They will keep it for future use if necessary. But copper is a metal that pathogenic bacteria do not want or need.

That's why, when macrophages find unwanted bacteria in the lungs, one of the first things they do is deliver them to a compartment where they are deprived of the metals they need and are instead bombarded with copper. The process is called mismetalization and is deadly.

For Michael Johnson, an immunobiologist at the University of Arizona, the toxicity of copper in bacteria is good news. It offers clues as to how antibiotics could be created to treat infections caused by S. pneumoniaeincluding pneumonia, ear infections, meningitis and pinkey

Johnson, an badistant professor of immunobiology, is using a $ 1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Sciences of General Practice, for a five-year term, to determine if copper could be the cornerstone of next generation of antibiotics. The grant, designed to provide researchers with the flexibility to conduct innovative research, is called a Research Grant to maximize research for researchers.

"Dr. Johnson's research illustrates the vital importance of fundamental science in transformational discoveries," said AU President Robert C. Robbins. "It is also fitting that this work is taking place in Arizona, where copper has long been a major economic driver." Johnson's work could be a way to discover the potential of copper as a new lifesaver in the fight against a bacteria, and I am very happy to see the results. "

"This bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniaekills 1.5 million people a year and half of them are under 5 years old. This is despite the fact that there is a vaccine that covers only 25% of strains. It's a very important pathogen, and we need better treatments, "says Johnson, which really blew me away when I discovered how certain bacteria were sensitive to copper stress and that the human body could use it to fight bacteria. "

People have long used copper as an antibacterial in different ways, for example to store food in copper pots. In hospitals, copper surfaces, such as door handles and bed frames, are used to reduce nosocomial infections. So, according to Johnson, it only makes sense to explore ways to use copper in antibiotics.

Why not just take copper pills? It's a good question, but few things in the cellular world are so simple. Scientists still do not know why or how copper is toxic to bacteria. To find out, they need to know how bacteria are fighting this problem.

"We need to do this basic science before we can create new antibiotics – we need to know how different bacterial systems work to target them," said Johnson.

Johnson is focusing his latest study on copper-sensitive CopY protein. In a bacterial cell, CopY controls the system that throws the copper as quickly as possible.

Johnson wants to know exactly how CopY works because it is the only way for bacteria to protect themselves from certain death when it comes to copper exposure.

"If we can understand how CopY works, then we can develop therapies to target it," says Johnson.

Johnson hopes to elucidate the structure of CopY and define the specific pathways he uses to overcome the stress of copper. These are the first steps to create an effective treatment that will target and stop CopY.

"We are making fewer and fewer antibiotics, antibiotic resistance is increasing, it is not sustainable, we need to reverse this trend and find more ways to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria," he said. said Johnson.

"To be clear, I'm not saying that a treatment that targets CopY will last forever, some bacteria will inevitably understand it, but it will give us time, and if we look for perfect solutions we will never find anything." he added. "Such therapy would give our immune system a better opportunity to fight infections."