A recent publication co-authored by Matthew Rice and Bree Streather, SoCoBio DTP students at the University of Kent in year 3 and year 4 of the programme respectively, presents promising progress in the search for new treatments targeting antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections, particularly those involving resilient biofilms. The work focuses on supramolecular self-associating amphiphiles (SSAs)—a class of compounds with emerging potential as antibiofilm agents.

The study introduces five structurally diverse SSAs, which were:

• Characterised in both the solid state and in solution
• Tested for interactions with synthetic phospholipid membranes
• Evaluated for antibiofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans (WHO high/critical priority pathogens)

The team also explored 1:1 SSA co-formulations, revealing that combining SSAs can influence both their membrane interactions and biological activity. Finally, a series of in vitro and in vivo DMPK assays confirmed the drug-like potential of these novel compounds.

You can read the full article here.