Trojan Horse Carriers to Deliver Antibiotics into Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Official title: Discovery and Characterization of Trojan Horse Carriers that Direct Drug Import into Pathogens
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11446386 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new approach aims to sneak antibiotics into hard-to-treat bacteria by hitching them to smart carriers that hitch a ride through bacterial transport systems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | August 26, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $698,823 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI192307-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11446386 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in future translational steps, once carriers are proven safe and effective.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-bacterial infections or with infections by bacteria not targeted by these carriers may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how to use natural transport pathways to import powerful antibiotic drug pieces into Gram-negative bacteria that resist treatment. Researchers will map how these Trojan horse carriers are built, how they work, and how well they kill target bacteria. They will use computational tools to guide design, then test the carriers’ ability to deliver drugs and to stop infections in lab strains. The work could lead to smarter antibiotic strategies that bypass some resistance mechanisms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with hard-to-treat bacterial infections could receive more effective antibiotics that reach the bacteria more reliably.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that carrier-based delivery can enhance drug uptake in bacteria, supporting the potential of this approach but clinical translation remains forthcoming.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nair, Satish K — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Nair, Satish K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.