Heart Arrhythmia Drug Repurposed to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

A groundbreaking study from Emory University has shed light on a promising new approach to tackling the urgent global issue of antibiotic-resistant infections. These resistant bacteria often spread within hospital settings and pose significant treatment challenges due to the limited number of effective antibiotics available. Focusing on the highly infectious bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii, which primarily affects immunocompromised patients in clinical environments, researchers employed an innovative strategy to identify vulnerabilities specific to resistant bacteria.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), revealed that fendiline, a drug originally used to treat heart arrhythmias by acting as a calcium channel blocker, can effectively kill this pathogen. Fendiline targets the bacterium’s essential lipoprotein trafficking pathway, which is notably weakened in antibiotic-resistant strains. This discovery demonstrates the potential for repurposing existing medications to develop targeted therapies against resistant bacteria.

Dr. Philip Rather, the study’s lead author and professor at Emory University School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of this finding, stating the need for new therapeutics to combat resistant infections commonly seen in ventilated patients and those with deep soft tissue infections. Jennifer Colquhoun, Ph.D., the first author and research scientist, highlighted that this approach exploits a newly identified bacterial weakness, enabling rapid development and deployment of treatment options.

Since fendiline is already FDA-approved, there is a significant advantage in progressing to clinical trials swiftly. Its ability to selectively target the resistant bacteria while sparing beneficial gut flora suggests it could become a valuable addition to the arsenal against difficult-to-treat hospital infections, especially in immunocompromised populations.

This novel approach opens pathways for developing new antibiotics that target similar bacterial vulnerabilities, offering hope for more effective treatments against drug-resistant pathogens in the future.