As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to threaten global health, NRC researchers are engineering innovative solutions that could redefine how we fight infections. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific teams around the world were already sounding the alarm about infectious disease outbreaks and AMR was emerging as a silent but growing threat.
The AMR crisis, often referred to as a "silent pandemic," affects thousands of Canadians annually. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve over time. This makes standard therapies, like antibiotics, ineffective and harder to treat, leading to a greater risk of infection, illness and death as well as higher medical costs.
According to recent studies, AMR could cost the global economy a fortune, yet funding to find solutions had decreased in recent years. With AMR rates rising, some NRC researchers had also anticipated a bacterial outbreak that could have a lasting global impact. This made it even more critical to develop new antimicrobials and preserve the effectiveness of current ones.
In 2019, a team of NRC researchers led by Dr. Wangxue Chen received funding under the NRC's Small Teams Initiative for their project to develop innovative technologies that would improve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics. Through extensive outreach, workshops and collaborations with both Canadian and international partners, the research team has produced 22 peer-reviewed papers, filed 3 patent applications and has developed multiple platforms to proof-of-concept stage.
The outcomes of this research mark a major step forward in the global fight against AMR, paving the way for new treatment strategies that could help save lives and reduce healthcare costs for Canadians.
Innovating to outpace antimicrobial resistance
To improve current treatments for pathogens resistant to antimicrobials, the research team looked at ways to increase the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics and minimize the development of antimicrobial resistance. Their strategy involved investigating systems that would deliver antibiotics directly to the pathogen at the site of infection.
The team developed 3 innovative systems:
- Nanoparticle-based delivery systems: Target harmful pathogens directly, reducing treatment toxicity and improving safety.
- Antibody-guided antibiotic delivery systems (also known as antibody–antibiotic conjugates): Deliver repurposed antibiotics directly to pathogenic bacteria and destroy them, while leaving healthy cells alone.
- Bacteriophage-based systems: Use natural viruses to target and destroy bacteria. When antibiotics fail, these viruses can be lifesaving, infecting harmful bacteria and turning them into viral factories until they burst and die. Bacteriophages can also deliver genes that make bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics.
Collaboration drives discovery
The team included multiple researchers from the following NRC research centres:
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre
- Aquatic Crop and Resource Development Research Centre
- Metrology Research Centre
- Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre
They collaborated with partners from the University of Ottawa, Brock University, McMaster University, Laval University and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
"In the past, AMR research and development faced challenges due to a lack of funding because of cost- and time-related constraints," says Dr. Wangxue Chen, Principal Research Officer at the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre. "The Small Teams Initiative helped us make significant progress in AMR research and expand our expertise in immunology and vaccine development by advancing collaboration with external partners. Some of the technologies we developed are now ready for transfer, bringing them one step closer to Canadians."
According to Dr. Danielle Peters, an assistant research officer at Human Health Therapeutics and one of the NRC researchers working on this project, "Being brought on to the team for this project was an incredible opportunity because the funding allowed us to further progress the research. It also allowed us to establish a bacteriophage therapeutic research lab at the NRC, which had a significant impact on my career as a researcher."
The Small Teams Initiative offers NRC researchers a unique opportunity to turn innovative ideas into groundbreaking discoveries, opening new pathways for scientific partnerships and collaboration.
The outcomes of this research have played an integral part in supporting the Government of Canada's Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance by advancing novel alternatives to antibiotics and strengthening Canada's biomanufacturing ecosystem.
Looking ahead
This project has laid the groundwork for future research, including provisional patent submissions that could be licensed. Next steps involve advancing technology and expertise in therapy using bacterial viruses, known as phage therapy, among partners, collaborators and industry. The success of this project helped launch a separate project funded by the Small Teams Initiative that focuses on the next generation of phage therapy to address AMR. The innovative systems and platforms developed by the team could revolutionize the future of phage therapy, helping to save lives and reduce healthcare costs.
Through programs like the Ideation Fund, which provides support to the Small Teams initiative, the NRC continues to drive scientific breakthroughs that protect public health, strengthen Canada's biomanufacturing ecosystem, and inspire the next generation of researchers.