In 2016 a patient passed away because of an infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). And the reason she died was that the bacteria was resistant to all available antibiotics. Yes, it was resistant to every single antibiotic available. The reality is that this happens more often than we know it. This is called antibiotic resistance, it is expected that by the time we reach 2050 10 million people that year will have died because of it. This is why we’ve come up with Antigene, Antigene is a treatment that uses gene editing to do the job that antibiotics can’t always do.
Problem:
Antibiotic resistance kills more than 1.27 million people every year and by 2050 so many bacteria will develop resistance to antibiotics that this number is expected to reach 10 million. Patients with antibiotic resistance have been diagnosed with a sickness only to find out that the only treatment for it doesn’t work. Another example of a serious case of antibiotic resistance is a premature baby who died at one of England’s leading hospitals during an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that affected 13 infants.
What is antibiotic resistance:
When someone gets sick they are given medicine and drugs to kill the germs, but what happens with antibiotic resistance is that the germ is resistant to the treatment. Antibiotic resistance doesn’t mean that your body is resistant to medicine, it means that the bacteria or fungi that are causing your sickness is resistant to the antibiotics.
How does antibiotic resistance occur:
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria and fungi adapt to the medicine, and in a sense “learn their ways.” Antibiotics kill bad germs but they also kill the helpful germs, that help us with infection. Because of this in some cases, the antibiotic-resistant germs survive, multiply and are then able to resist the antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic resistance can be increased with the more exposure to antibiotics there is. Another thing that has a big effect on antibiotic resistance is superbugs. Superbugs are antibiotic-resistant and have the ability to be resistant to more than one antibiotic treatment.
Our solution:
Our solution to antibiotic resistance is to get rid of the need for antibiotics completely. Antibiotics still work but they don't work on everyone, and when this happens they don't always have a second option for treatment. Our solution is to use twin prime editing to gene edit the bacteria. Instead of disabling the antibiotic-resistant part and attempting to use antibiotics once again. Our solution is that if the antibiotics don't work we will use gene editing and disable the bad bacteria. Not only will this save lives but also save the good bacteria from being killed by the antibiotics.
What is twin prime editing and how does it work:
Twin prime editing is a method of gene editing that can replace, remove, or disable. First, the guide RNAs(pegRNA) complex binds to the target DNA. Once the pegRNAs bind to the DNA the Cas9 nicks one strand, creating a flap. The PBS, which is found on the pegRNA, binds to the DNA flap that the cas9 created. Then the edited RNA sequence is reverse transcribed using the reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that is used to generate complementary DNA. The edited strand is then incorporated and placed into the DNA at the end of the nicked flap that the cas9 made. And the target DNA is replaced with the new reverse transcribed DNA. The original DNA sequence is removed by a cellular endonuclease.
How does our treatment work:
First, our treatment would only be used in cases where antibiotics don't work and there is no other option. Though this sounds rare this is the case for many people. We would use twin prime editing and cut into the bacteria’s DNA instead of replacing the DNA. The Cas9 enzyme will cut into and slice the bacteria’s DNA disabling it. We disable it by cutting the ribosome part of the bacteria. With not only the antibiotic-resistant bacteria being disabled but all bad bacteria now being disabled. The patient will no longer have the need for antibiotics because Antigene will have gotten rid of all the bad bacteria, meaning the job is done!
What does the healthcare field look like with Antigene:
Introducing Antigene to the healthcare field will make a huge difference in humanity. Antigene saves lives and curing something as important as antibiotic resistance will change how healthcare works forever. With Antigene doctors will no longer have to have the devastating talk with their patients. They will no longer have to tell their patients that the only treatments available won't work on them. Antigene has the ability to save more than a million people a year. So the answer to what will the health care field look like with antigene? Is amazing Antigene will revolutionize healthcare for the better and won't leave people with no options for healthcare treatments.
