Researchers from Skoltech and other Russian science centers have created a reporter system—a screening tool that identifies drug compounds able to disrupt RNA synthesis in gram-negative bacteria. These pathogens include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a dangerous cause of hospital-acquired infections that has already developed resistance to existing drugs.
Gram-negative bacteria are especially challenging because of their outer membrane, which blocks many antibiotics. By targeting RNA synthesis, this approach opens a new front against infections that have grown resistant to conventional treatments. The need is urgent: the World Health Organization lists drug-resistant bacteria among the top global health threats.
The screening system works by detecting disruptions to RNA polymerase, an enzyme essential for bacterial transcription. It is designed to work specifically with gram-negative strains, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others like Acinetobacter baumannii. The tool can test thousands of compounds rapidly, accelerating the search for new antibiotics.
If validated in further studies, the reporter system could lead to new classes of antibiotics that bypass existing resistance mechanisms. Such drugs would be vital for treating infections in hospitals, where multidrug-resistant pathogens are common. Researchers hope the approach can eventually be adapted to other bacterial targets.
“The system allows us to see exactly which compounds affect RNA synthesis, which is critical for developing effective drugs,” the team explained. The findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal, though no specific timeline for clinical development was provided.