Light-drug to treat superbug MRSA

Patients with the hospital superbug MRSA could receive more effective treatment from a light-activated drug, according to new research.

The drug photosensitiser is applied to a wound and activated using a special type of light, penetrating deep enough to effectively kill off MRSA (meticillin resistant staphylococcus aureus).

The concept is known as photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (Pact), research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester showed.

MRSA can only cause infection if it gets into a wound, it is harmless if it is just living on the skin.

Doctors are unable to apply antibiotics directly to MRSA-infected wounds as they do not penetrate deep enough into the wound to take any effect.

MRSA is also resistant to most types of standard antibiotics.

Researchers at the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University of Belfast examined a hydrogel that holds and then releases the light-reacting drug.

The drug effectively killed the bacteria when it was released from the hydrogel.

Researcher Corona Cassidy said: "Pact is an exciting potential treatment of MRSA-infected wounds. More laboratory work must be carried out to optimise our treatment conditions to ensure that all exposed bacteria are killed."

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