PUBLICATION BY D. Panáček, J. Belza, L. Hochvaldová, at al. TITLED Single Atom Engineered Antibiotics Overcome Bacterial Resistance PUBLISHED IN Advanced Materials, 36 (2024) 2410652 WITH DOI:10.1002/adma.202410652 WAS AWARDED BY FORBES JOURNAL AS ONE OF THE 11th DISCOVERIES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC in 2024.

The publication describes the engineering of antibiotic structures to overcome bacterial resistance. This area of modern medicine addresses antibiotic resistance threats and directs the efforts of academia toward identifying the next generation of highly active antibacterial nanomaterials.

https://forbes.cz/prepsane-ucebnice-i-sance-na-nobelovku-jedenact-letosnich-objevu-ceskych-vedcu/

Abstract of the publication:

The outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or “superbugs”, poses a global public health hazard due to their resilience against the most effective last-line antibiotics. Identifying potent antibacterial agents capable of evading bacterial resistance mechanisms represents the ultimate defense strategy. This study shows that –the otherwise essential micronutrient– manganese turns into a broad-spectrum potent antibiotic when coordinated with a carboxylated nitrogen-doped graphene. This antibiotic material (termed NGA-Mn) not only inhibits the growth of a wide spectrum of multidrug-resistant bacteria but also heals wounds infected by bacteria in vivo and, most importantly, effectively evades bacterial resistance development. NGA-Mn exhibits up to 25-fold higher cytocompatibility to human cells than its minimum bacterial inhibitory concentration, demonstrating its potential as a next-generation antibacterial agent. Experimental findings suggest that NGA-Mn acts on the outer side of the bacterial cell membrane via a multimolecular collective binding, blocking vital functions in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results underscore the potential of single-atom engineering toward potent antibiotics, offering simultaneously a long-sought solution for evading drug resistance development while being cytocompatible to human cells.