Issue 8, 2022

Addressing a future pandemic: how can non-biological complex drugs prepare us for antimicrobial resistance threats?

Abstract

Loss of effective antibiotics through antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health. By 2050, the annual death rate resulting from AMR infections is predicted to have climbed from 1.27 million per annum in 2019, up to 10 million per annum. It is therefore imperative to preserve the effectiveness of both existing and future antibiotics, such that they continue to save lives. One way to conserve the use of existing antibiotics and build further contingency against resistant strains is to develop alternatives. Non-biological complex drugs (NBCDs) are an emerging class of therapeutics that show multi-mechanistic antimicrobial activity and hold great promise as next generation antimicrobial agents. We critically outline the focal advancements for each key material class, including antimicrobial polymer materials, carbon nanomaterials, and inorganic nanomaterials, and highlight the potential for the development of antimicrobial resistance against each class. Finally, we outline remaining challenges for their clinical translation, including the need for specific regulatory pathways to be established in order to allow for more efficient clinical approval and adoption of these new technologies.

Graphical abstract: Addressing a future pandemic: how can non-biological complex drugs prepare us for antimicrobial resistance threats?

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
28 Febr. 2022
Accepted
06 Jūn. 2022
First published
15 Jūn. 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Horiz., 2022,9, 2076-2096

Addressing a future pandemic: how can non-biological complex drugs prepare us for antimicrobial resistance threats?

L. D. Blackman, T. D. Sutherland, P. J. De Barro, H. Thissen and K. E. S. Locock, Mater. Horiz., 2022, 9, 2076 DOI: 10.1039/D2MH00254J

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