Microneedles: bypassing the gastrointestinal microbiota to circumvent antibiotic resistance    

Antibiotic resistance represents the biggest threat to health today. Oral administration of antibiotics contributes significantly to the development of antibiotic resistance, due to interaction of antibiotics with bacteria inhabiting the human gut. Injection of antibiotics significantly reduces development of resistance in gut bacteria compared with oral administration, especially if the antibiotic is predominantly excreted through the kidneys. Accordingly, avoiding antibiotic exposure of the gut bacteria may considerably extend the useful lifespan of existing antibiotics, providing vital time for development of new antibiotics. It is clearly impractical to expect patients to inject themselves at home, especially considering that more than 20 per cent of people have needle phobias, but admitting patients to hospital every time they need an antibiotic prove costly.

We will develop and evaluate an antibiotic patch that will bypass the gut bacteria and extend the useful lifespan of available antibiotics. On its surface will be tiny needles that painlessly pierce the skin, turning into a jelly-like material that keeps the holes open and allows delivery of antibiotics for absorption into the bloodstream, bypassing the gut bacteria. We will show that this prevents the development of antibiotic resistance.

This approach will significantly extend the lifespan of existing antibiotics, saving countless lives.