Kim Lewis | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Researcher, author and academic |
Academic background | |
Education | B.S., Biology (1976) Ph.D., Biochemistry (1980) |
Alma mater | Moscow University |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Northeastern University |
Kim Lewis is an American researcher,author and academic. He is a University Distinguished Professor and the director of Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University.
His research is focused on antimicrobial tolerance which limits the ability of antibiotics to eradicate an infection;and on antimicrobial drug discovery. [1]
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, [2] [3] and of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Apart from his work in academia,Dr. Lewis is a co-founder of NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals,Arietis Pharma,Holobiome,Flightpath Biosciences and Odyssey Therapeutics.
Lewis received both his B.S. in Biology (1976) and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1980) at Moscow University.
In 1976,Lewis joined Moscow University as a researcher. He continued working there until 1984,when he applied to emigrate to the USA. He moved to the United States in 1987,where he joined University of Wisconsin as a research associate. In 1988,he joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in the Applied Biology Department. After the disbandment of that Department,he joined University of Maryland,Baltimore in 1994. Lewis joined Tufts University as an Associate Professor in 1997 and taught there until 2001,when he joined Northeastern University. In 2004,he became a distinguished research fellow,and in 2011,a distinguished professor at Northeastern University. [4]
Antimicrobial Tolerance:
Dr. Lewis' group discovered that biofilm recalcitrance to treatment is due to the presence of dormant persister cells tolerant of killing by antibiotics. Persisters are cells with low level of ATP,which drops as a result of stochastic variation in expression of energy producing components. [5] [6] [7] His team also discovered an approach to eradicate persisters. Acyldepsipeptide (ADEP) kills persisters in S. aureus and other bacteria by activating the Clp protease,forcing the cell to self-digest. [8]
Uncultured Bacteria:
In early 2000s,Lewis began working in collaboration with Slava Epstein to solve the problem of uncultured bacteria that do not grow in vitro. They reasoned uncultured bacteria will grow in their natural environment and developed a diffusion chamber where they are incubated in their natural environment. In a paper published in Science in 2002,they reported growth of uncultured bacteria in a diffusion chamber. [9] Lewis's team subsequently discovered that uncultured bacteria require growth factors produced by their neighbors. These include siderophores for environmental bacteria [10] and quinones for symbionts of the human microbiome [11] [12]
Antimicrobial Drug Discovery:
In collaboration with NovoBiotic,Dr. Lewis discovered teixobactin,a novel cell wall acting antibiotic that is produced by an uncultured bacterium Eleftheria terrae. This is the first antibiotic that acts without detectable resistance. [13] [14] A paper describing the discovery of teixobactin was the most discussed publication of that year,according to Altmetric. [15] Clovibactin is another example of an antibiotic to which resistance does not develop [16]
Lewis and his group also discovered several compounds acting against Gram negative pathogens. These include hygromycin A,rediscovered as a specific inhibitor of Borrelia burgdorferi,the causative agent of Lyme disease [17] and a novel class of antibiotics,the darobactins,inhibitors of BamA,an essential protein of the outer membrane. [18] [19]
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections,and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. A limited number of antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the ones which cause the common cold or influenza. Drugs which inhibit growth of viruses are termed antiviral drugs or antivirals. Antibiotics are also not effective against fungi. Drugs which inhibit growth of fungi are called antifungal drugs.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials,which are drugs used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes,including bacteria,viruses,protozoa,and fungi. Together,these adaptations fall under the AMR umbrella,posing significant challenges to healthcare worldwide. Misuse and improper management of antimicrobials are primary drivers of this resistance,though it can also occur naturally through genetic mutations and the spread of resistant genes.
A bacteriophage,also known informally as a phage,is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term is derived from Ancient Greek φαγεῖν (phagein) 'to devour' and bacteria. Bacteriophages are composed of proteins that encapsulate a DNA or RNA genome,and may have structures that are either simple or elaborate. Their genomes may encode as few as four genes and as many as hundreds of genes. Phages replicate within the bacterium following the injection of their genome into its cytoplasm.
Penicillins are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from Penicillium moulds,principally P. chrysogenum and P. rubens. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using deep tank fermentation and then purified. A number of natural penicillins have been discovered,but only two purified compounds are in clinical use:penicillin G and penicillin V. Penicillins were among the first medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. They are still widely used today for various bacterial infections,though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use.
A biofilm is a syntrophic community of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). The cells within the biofilm produce the EPS components,which are typically a polymeric combination of extracellular polysaccharides,proteins,lipids and DNA. Because they have a three-dimensional structure and represent a community lifestyle for microorganisms,they have been metaphorically described as "cities for microbes".
Sir Richard Brook Sykes is a British microbiologist,the chair of the Royal Institution,the UK Stem Cell Foundation,and the trustees at King Edward VII's Hospital,and chancellor of Brunel University. As of June 2021,he is chair of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce,where he is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme,including preparations for booster programmes and encouraging vaccine innovation in the UK.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs),also called host defence peptides (HDPs) are part of the innate immune response found among all classes of life. Fundamental differences exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that may represent targets for antimicrobial peptides. These peptides are potent,broad spectrum antimicrobials which demonstrate potential as novel therapeutic agents. Antimicrobial peptides have been demonstrated to kill Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria,enveloped viruses,fungi and even transformed or cancerous cells. Unlike the majority of conventional antibiotics it appears that antimicrobial peptides frequently destabilize biological membranes,can form transmembrane channels,and may also have the ability to enhance immunity by functioning as immunomodulators.
Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) is an antimicrobial peptide encoded in the human by the CAMP gene. The active form is LL-37. In humans,CAMP encodes the peptide precursor CAP-18,which is processed by proteinase 3-mediated extracellular cleavage into the active form LL-37.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a typically short,almost round,rod-shaped (coccobacillus) Gram-negative bacterium. It is named after the bacteriologist Paul Baumann. It can be an opportunistic pathogen in humans,affecting people with compromised immune systems,and is becoming increasingly important as a hospital-derived (nosocomial) infection. While other species of the genus Acinetobacter are often found in soil samples,it is almost exclusively isolated from hospital environments. Although occasionally it has been found in environmental soil and water samples,its natural habitat is still not known.
Persister cells are subpopulations of cells that resist treatment,and become antimicrobial tolerant by changing to a state of dormancy or quiescence. Persister cells in their dormancy do not divide. The tolerance shown in persister cells differs from antimicrobial resistance in that the tolerance is not inherited and is reversible. When treatment has stopped the state of dormancy can be reversed and the cells can reactivate and multiply. Most persister cells are bacterial,and there are also fungal persister cells,yeast persister cells,and cancer persister cells that show tolerance for cancer drugs.
Plasmid-mediated resistance is the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes which are carried on plasmids. Plasmids possess mechanisms that ensure their independent replication as well as those that regulate their replication number and guarantee stable inheritance during cell division. By the conjugation process,they can stimulate lateral transfer between bacteria from various genera and kingdoms. Numerous plasmids contain addiction-inducing systems that are typically based on toxin-antitoxin factors and capable of killing daughter cells that don't inherit the plasmid during cell division. Plasmids often carry multiple antibiotic resistance genes,contributing to the spread of multidrug-resistance (MDR). Antibiotic resistance mediated by MDR plasmids severely limits the treatment options for the infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria,especially family Enterobacteriaceae. The global spread of MDR plasmids has been enhanced by selective pressure from antimicrobial medications used in medical facilities and when raising animals for food.
Escherichia coli is a gram-negative,rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless,but pathogenic varieties cause serious food poisoning,septic shock,meningitis,or urinary tract infections in humans. Unlike normal flora E. coli,the pathogenic varieties produce toxins and other virulence factors that enable them to reside in parts of the body normally not inhabited by E. coli,and to damage host cells. These pathogenic traits are encoded by virulence genes carried only by the pathogens.
Acyldepsipeptide or cyclic acyldepsipeptide (ADEP) is a class of potential antibiotics first isolated from bacteria and act by deregulating the ClpP protease. Natural ADEPs were originally found as products of aerobic fermentation in Streptomyces hawaiiensis,A54556A and B,and in the culture broth of Streptomyces species,enopeptin A and B. ADEPs are of great interest in drug development due to their antibiotic properties and thus are being modified in attempt to achieve greater antimicrobial activity.
Teixobactin is a peptide-like secondary metabolite of some species of bacteria,that kills some gram-positive bacteria. It appears to belong to a new class of antibiotics,and harms bacteria by binding to lipid II and lipid III,important precursor molecules for forming the cell wall.
NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals is a privately held,early-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of new drugs from natural sources.
Eleftheria terrae is a recently discovered Gram-negative bacterium. E. terrae is a temporary name for the organism,as it was only discovered in 2014 and is still undergoing scientific study. It was found to produce a previously unknown antibiotic named teixobactin. The discovery of E. terrae could represent a new age of antibiotics,as teixobactin is the first new antibiotic discovered since the synthetic era of the 1980s. Prior research has indicated that other uncultivable bacteria like E. terrae have potential in the development of new antimicrobial agents.
Enduracididine is a non-proteinogenic α-amino acid that is a cyclic analogue of arginine. It is not genetically encoded into peptide sequences,but rather is generated as a posttranslational modification.
Slava Epstein is an American academic,researcher and entrepreneur working in the field of Microbial ecology. He is currently a professor in the biology department of Northeastern University and co-founder of NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals. As a researcher his most covered contribution is the development of the Isolation chip (iChip) and the discovery of a new antibiotic,Teixobactin. Epstein's research has been published in many leading scientific journals including Nature and Science.
A. C. Matin was a Pakistani-American microbiologist,immunologist,academician and researcher. He was a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Clovibactin (Novo29) is an experimental antibiotic isolated from an uncultured soil Gram-negative β-proteobacterium Eleftheria terrae ssp. carolina,which is one of many soil bacteria.