Researchers Use Light In MRSA Fight

New treatment using a light-activated drug could revolutionise the fight
against hospital "superbug", MRSA (otherwise known as meticillin resistant
staphylococcus aureus) it was revealed at the British Pharmaceutical
Conference (BPC) in Manchester.





MRSA can sometimes live on the skin or in the nose and has no harmful
effects unless it gets under the skin, for example in wounds, where it can
cause infection. If MRSA gets into the bloodstream it can cause serious
infections, for example pneumonia, septicaemia, or osteomyelitis (in the
bones).





Doctors do not apply antibiotics directly to MRSA-infected wounds as they
do not penetrate deep enough into the wound to have an effect, or can
irritate the surrounding skin, slowing down wound healing. Worryingly, MRSA
is now resistant to most types of standard antibiotics.





Investigations underway by Corona Cassidy and co-workers at the School of
Pharmacy, Queen's University of Belfast, move away from the antibiotic
approach. The treatment would involve delivering a drug known as a
'photosensitiser' to infected wounds and activating it using a special type
of light, triggering it to kill the MRSA. The concept is known as
photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy or 'PACT'.





In laboratory studies, the team has examined a hydrogel that holds and
then releases the light-reacting drug. The system was effective in killing
the bacteria when the drug was released from the hydrogel.





Miss Cassidy said: "PACT is an exciting potential treatment of
MRSA-infected wounds. More laboratory work must be carried out to optimise
our treatment conditions to ensure that all exposed bacteria are killed."



The British Pharmaceutical Conference 2008 (BPC)





BPC 2008: Pharmacy in the 21st Century: Adding years to life and life to
years. In 2008, as the NHS marks its 60th anniversary year, BPC will examine
how pharmacy and the pharmaceutical services are helping to add years to life
and life to the year of the UK population. The profession of pharmacy plays
an important role in meeting the healthcare challenges associated with the
UK's ageing population.





How can pharmacists contribute to caring for the population as well as
ensuring quality of life? Increasingly, scientists and practitioners have to
consider the cost implications of this conundrum, and the evidence base for
all interventions is becoming of paramount importance: BPC 2008 will debate
these issues and open up discussion on them. Visit: bpc2008





The main sponsors of BPC 2008 are: Boots The Chemists (Lead Sponsor),
AstraZeneca (Associate Sponsor and BPC-PJ Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor),
Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) (Associate Sponsor) and GSK (BPC-PJ
Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor).

British Pharmaceutical Conference


View drug information on Photodynamic Therapy.