What is it about?
Our research focuses on developing better treatments for lung infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), which are cousins of tuberculosis. A significant and difficult-to-treat NTM infection is caused by Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus), a rapid-growing NTM responsible for severe pulmonary disease. M. abscessus lung disease is a growing global health crisis due to limited therapeutic options. The infection is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics, including rifamycins, which are cornerstones of tuberculosis treatment. This limited effectiveness is due to bacterial and host mechanisms: M. abscessus can chemically inactivate rifamycins, and approved rifamycins interact with other medications essential for patients with conditions like cystic fibrosis or HIV. These challenges highlight the need for new treatments.
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Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Currently, patients with M. abscessus lung infections take 3 to 6 antibiotics often for years, and cure rates are around 50%. Our work is important because it has delivered new rifamycins specifically engineered to treat these lung infections. They are well tolerated and sterilize the lungs of infected mice after only 7 days. They thus have the potential to drastically improve cure rates and shorten treatment duration.
Perspectives
Mycobacterial infections feed into the global explosion of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We have discovered promising next generation rifamycins designed to circumvent bacterial inactivation and problematic drug interactions. Given their remarkable efficacy in a mouse model, we have started preclinical development and have great hopes that these drug candidates can become effective, safe oral treatments for patients struggling with M. abscessus and other mycobacterial infections.
Veronique Dartois
Hackensack University Medical Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Next-generation rifamycins for the treatment of mycobacterial infections, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2423842122.
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