Reporters learned from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on January 8 that Lai Ren, a researcher of the institute, led the research team to design and form a candidate drug molecule that has a specific inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus through nano transformation, providing new ideas for the research and development of new antibacterial drugs. The relevant results were recently published online in the international journal Nano Express. Staphylococcus aureus can cause various diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome, bacteremia, and sepsis, and can also easily lead to wound infections after surgery and burns. In 1942, it was discovered that Staphylococcus aureus was resistant to penicillin. In 1959, methicillin, a penicillin resistant enzyme, was introduced clinically β- Lactamide antibiotics. But two years later, scientists confirmed the existence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium, also known as superbugs, has a detection rate of over 30% in most parts of the world. The discovery of vancomycin became the last line of defense against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. But now vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus has also emerged. The Lai Ren team designed an ultra short antimicrobial peptide containing 2 to 3 amino acids and modified it onto gold nanoparticles by forming gold sulfur covalent bonds, resulting in peptide modified gold nanoparticles with a diameter of approximately 3 nanometers. The antibacterial activity and stability of this new particle have been greatly enhanced, with a half-life of 17.5 hours in vivo. It also exhibits a specific inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, mainly acting on the cell membrane of bacteria and killing them. Research has shown that peptide modified gold nanoparticles have minimal toxic side effects, are less likely to induce drug resistance, and have better comprehensive therapeutic effects than vancomycin, indicating significant characteristics in the development of candidate antibacterial drugs. It is reported that the Lai Ren team has been committed to the research and development of new antibacterial candidate drug molecules for a long time, and has currently identified over 1000 antimicrobial peptides. The team is also optimizing and transforming natural antimicrobial peptides. (Lixin News Agency) (Reporter Zhao Hanbin)